Unconventional Lovers
by sugarprincess89
Summary: Alana Janes is a rich 17 year old girl whose mother remarried. They moved to a small town in Maine where she went to Weston Private Academy. But this girl has a secret. The lives of those she cares about are put to danger because of this secret.
1. Chapter 1 Challenge

Chapter 1: Challenge

My mother and sister were sleeping peacefully on the plane as I sat in the quiet of the plane and thought of the upcoming events. A new life was throwing itself at my feet with a 100mph force. It seemed too fast. It just seemed like it was yesterday, my mom and dad were coming home from court with the official papers of their divorce. But all that happened 8 years ago. Now, we were leaving out home in Toronto, Canada and moving in with our soon-to-be family in Weston, Maine. I was happy for my mom, she deserved a life filled with love and happiness. I felt sorry for her because her other marriage failed. Not that any outsider who saw their wedding wouldn't say so from the start. "It won't last." They were forced to marry. A type of arranged marriage based on business. I can't say that we didn't live well. On the contrary. We did. My dad was a very successful businessman. He was the CEO of the Rainbow Valley Toy Industry. It was the biggest toy industry in Canada. It still is as a matter of fact. My mom didn't really need to work. She studied to be an interior designer. It was two years after she graduated, that they started having serious problems with being married and decided to get divorced. We lived in the center of the city. Our house was an enormous estate. It stood on 5 acres of land. The house was like a castle. It covered most the land. We had stables and horses where me and my sister Leah would ride every morning. Flower gardens were spread around the whole area. It was heavenly. It seemed like we were living in a fairy tale. But now we were going to move to a small town. I wondered what it would be like.

"Alana, wake up." my mom shook my shoulder. I hadn't noticed that I slipped into slumber.  
"What's wrong mom?" I asked her yawning.  
"The plane is about to land. Buckle up."  
I did as I was told and looked out the window. It was mid October and the earth was decorated with orange, brown, and red leaved. It was beautiful. When we left Canada, the leaved were just turning color, but as I looked out my window, I noticed that most of Maine was already covered with these beautiful colorful leaves.

We landed in Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle. It was the city 2 hours away from the town we would be living in. We were let out of the plane onto the runway, because our plane was small. Not many people flew here. Presque Isle's population was no more than 10,000 people compared to Toronto of over 5 million people. I wondered what Weston's population was. As we stepped out of the plane, carrying what little luggage we had, the cool breeze hit my face. It was nice. I've always loved the cool weather. Though this was nice, but I preferred the snow. Maybe it ran in the family because mom, dad, and Leah all love the snow.

We entered the small airport and were greeted by, I would say, a man in his mid 30s. I assumed this was my future step father. I didn't know much about him. I knew his name was John Jenks. Mom said he was surgeon at the hospital in Weston. His wife died from a brain tumor about 5 years ago. He had two sons, one was 17 like me and the other was 14 just a year older than Leah. I didn't know anything else. I knew that my mom and him met 2 years ago at a convention held in Toronto for doctor's and interior designers. I know, that sounds weird, but this convention was organizing a competition for designing the best hospital model. Mom and John were on the same team, and got pretty close. Apparently they got so close that he proposed to her and she accepted, thus, us moving to the states.

"John." my mother exclaimed as we walked closer and threw her arms around his neck.  
"Jane." He quickly returned it and pulled her into a kiss. Leah giggled. I just smiled. It's been awhile since my mom had this kind of relationship. Well, before 2 years ago. We lived in a town house for 8 years with mom, since the divorce. She hadn't dated until John came around. After a long two minutes of kissing and us standing there with embarrassment, watching people steal glances our way, the two love birds finally broke apart.  
"John, I want you to meet my daughters, Alana and Leah." she motioned us to come closer.  
"Hello, Mr. Jenks." Leah and I said at the same time bowing our heads in respect and curtsying. You'd say nobody does this in the 21st century. Oh believe me, the upper class is really high on manners. We were raised and educated at home in this environment.  
"Alana, Leah. It's good to finally meet you." he said also bowing his head. He seemed to be a gentleman that was also educated by the upper class manners system.  
"Please, call me John." he added. We nodded. My mother stood beside up beaming. If it was possible, she would light up like a light bulb. A man came up to us wearing a black suit and took our luggage.

We walked out of the airport and came to a stop in front of a shiny black Toyota SUV. The man in the black suit was John's driver. I later learned his name was Alec. Alec loaded our bags in the trunk and shut it. He walked around to our side and opened the door. The SUV had three rows of seats. Front, middle, and back. Leah and I got in and got situated in the very back. Then my mom and John sat in the middle row, staring into each other's eyes dreamily and holding hands. Alec shut the door and walked around tot he driver's side. I watched my mom with adoration. Though she was 33, she looked young for her age. She was high spirited and an adventurer. Her fashion was a mixture of modern, casual, fancy. Like right now, she wore a light gray knee length shirt that looked like a dress. Over it she wore a black sweater that she didn't button up, around her waist was a brown leather belt. She wore warm dark gray tights and brown two inch heel boots. Her hair was dark brown. It was cut short to her shoulders in a fashionable bob. To complement the outfit, she wore big shades that were now pushing up her bangs revealing her forehead and her big blue eyes.

The ride to the house was quiet. I wondered what Weston was like. I knew it was small, but what kind of people lived there? What kind of house awaited us? What about the people living there? I wondered about the school. Though we were educated at home before, my mom decided to send us to the private school John's sons were attending. I didn't really feel comfortable starting the year late, but my mom convinced me saying that since I was smart I would easily catch up. I don't like to boast, but I store information pretty well in my brain.

After two hours of driving, I noticed a small sign on the side of the road welcoming us to Weston. Population? 203. My mouth hung open for a second. 203 people. _You've got to be kidding me._ I thought. _What kind of place is this? _My thought was answered. Much to my delight, I wasn't disappointed. All around we started passing by estates of all sizes. All were beautiful with the autumn trees. It looked very 1800s style. I didn't mind. I've always had a certain fondness to the architecture of that era. About 20 minutes into the city limits we turned onto a gated driveway. Alec punched in a code and the gate slowly opened. Leah and I were awe struck at the mansion in front of us. Though it was smaller than my father's house, it was still big. It was a stretched out peach brick mansion with a green roof. Windows and balconies were facing this way. We drove slowly to the front door and stopped. We were greeted by three maids and three butlers. All six were bowing as we exited the car and greeting us. "Welcome to the Jenks Mansion." We nodded and stepped inside. Alec handed the luggage to the butlers and drove the car away. The front room of the mansion was enormous. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling. In the middle was a large staircase, separating in two directions as you went up. Leah and I stood admiring the front room as mom and John were making googly eyes at each other.

Two boys entered from a room on the left. The older boy had shaggy brown hair with blond highlights here and there. His eyes were green. He was well built. He wore a white shoes, white pants, a white button up shirt and a white tie. The shirt was unbuttoned a few buttons on top and wasn't tucked in. The tie was tied in a knot below the unbuttoned buttons. He looked really hot, though I would never say that out loud. He was going to be my stepbrother soon, these kind of thoughts were unacceptable. His movement was graceful as he stopped in front of us and slowly bowed greeting us with a low husky voice. "Hello, my name is Lester." His eyes twinkled as he lifted his head and looked at me. I felt very self conscious. It wasn't the first time. When ever I would walk through the streets people would stare. My hair was bleach blond and my eyes were deep blue. For a stranger it would all look like I dyes my hair and wore contacts. But in reality, my hair was natural and so were my eyes. My eyesight was perfect and I had no need for glasses much less contacts. Lester's eyes scanned my body up and down no less than ten times. My hair was wavy and hung down my back just below my shoulder blades. I wore a tight hot pink sweater dress that went to about the middle of my thighs. I wore warm black tights and black leather three inch heel stilettos. I also wore leather black gloves that stopped at my forearm. I suddenly wondered if I was dressed inappropriately for Weston. _Oh well, it's my style and they'll just have to get used to it._ I shrugged it off.

The short silence was broken by another voice also greeting us. "Hello, my name is Daniel." I turned in the direction of the voice. He was a little shorter than Lester and just a little taller than Leah, I assumed he was the 14 year old. He had dark brown black hair. It wasn't short or long. His eyes were brown and big. He wore what looked like a gray vest and a red hoody over it, leaving it unzipped. He wore gray jeans and white Nike sneakers. _Hm. Interesting._ He scanned Leah. Leah's style wasn't like mine. She liked to wear jeans a lot. Right now she wore a yellow sweater with black stars and crosses all over it, tight blue skinny jeans and brown 1 inch heel boots. Her hair was brown and layered just below her shoulders. And just like mom and me, her eyes were blue. As a matter of fact, out whole family has blue eyes.

We smiled politely at them and greeted them. "Hello, my name is Alana. Nice to meet you." "Hello my name is Leah, nice to meet you." My mom and John stood to the side watching us.  
"Ok kids, let's leave the getting to know you part for after dinner, the girls are tired from their flight." said John. We all nodded. We were each introduced to our maids and butlers. The butlers were in charge of preparing baths, ironing clothes, serving us breakfast, lunch on weekends and holidays, and dinner. Our maids were in charge of cleaning out rooms, and any other requests we might have. Leah's maid looked like she was 20. Her raven black hair was pulled back in a bun and covered with a white cap. Her suit in general was black and white. She wore a knee length black short sleeved dress covered by a white apron. She introduced herself as Katy. She smiled at Leah and went ahead to show the bedroom with Leah following her. Leah's butler Stephan took her luggage and followed close behind. My mom also had a maid and butler. The maid was in her mid 20s. Her hair was light brown also pulled up in a bun covered by the little white cap, wearing the same maid's outfit. She introduced herself as Corean and the butler as Serge. John, mom, Corean and Serge left to their room. My maid's name was Mary and butler Julian. They were both 22. Apparently they were twins. I followed them up the stairs down a hall and finally to my bedroom.

My room was on the third floor as well as Leah's, Daniel's and Lester's. I immediately loved it. It was dark red with a white canopy bed. There was a french door that went out onto my private balcony. As Mary hung up my clothes and Julian went down to help with dinner, I went out onto the balcony. It was beautiful. The fall leaves on the trees were beautiful. The cool breeze blew tingling my skin. The back yard was big. On the left not far were stables. To the right was a tennis court. In the middle was a pool, that was now covered. Past the pool was a garden that used to be covered in flowers. As I gazed past the flower garden there was a gate with a path that led to the ocean. A light house stood in the distance on the edge of a small cliff. It was all so beautiful and overwhelming. My trance was broken by a husky voice that I immediately recognized.  
"Enjoying the view?"  
"Yes." I said looking over. On the right, was a neighboring balcony that extended from what I assumed was Lester's bedroom.  
"How are you liking it so far?" I could tell he was making small talk.  
"It's nice. Not much different from Toronto. Though the population is drastically different."  
He chuckled.  
"Yes, well that's Weston. It never increased in size since it was founded in the 1800s." _Is he telling me the town history? Great._ I nodded.  
"So you're gonna start school tomorrow. Kind of late in the semester."  
"Yeah, but I'm sure I'll catch up."  
"The curriculum is very challenging. Are you sure you can do it?" he asked with a voice that spelled out I Challenge You.  
"Are you trying to imply that I'm incapable of that?"  
"Not exactly. Just saying."  
"I'll bet you that I'll be caught up within two weeks of my entrance."  
"Isn't that a bit drastic? Two weeks is not a lot of time to catch up on a month and a half worth of work."  
"Want to make a bet?" I challenged.  
I looked wary.  
"Ok." he finally said. "If you do catch up, I'll show you a night club that is not far from here. You'll fit in perfectly." he added scanning my body again.  
"And if I lose?" I questioned.  
"If you lose, then you need to dive from the cliff over there next to the lighthouse and stay in the water for ten minutes."  
We stood smirking at each other.  
"Deal."  
_You are so on Jenks._ I thought smirking and looking out onto the ocean again. _I'll show you what I'm capable of._


	2. Chapter 2 School

Chapter 2: School

The next morning, I woke up with a start. I was confused over my surroundings. As waves of recognition flowed through me, Mary came into my room opening the curtains to reveal the rising sun. The sunrise was beautiful. I've never seen one before. I'm not exactly a morning person and the fact that I was home educated, gave me an opportunity to sleep in. I got up and stretched.

After a quick shower, I blow dried my hair and applied makeup. Mary brought in my uniform that Julian had ironed. It was a elegant gothic lolita style. A white long sleeved button up shirt with a fancy ruffled collar. A small black ribbon was tied around the neck into a bow. A short black over all dress went over the shirt. It looked kind of cute. I pulled on the thigh high black stockings that went with it and went to my room. My bag and shoes were ready on a stool at the foot of my bed. I put on the black stilettos, grabbed my bag and headed downstairs to breakfast.

After dinner last night, we had a small tour of the mansion and we were shown where we were to eat breakfast. The breakfast was near the back of the mansion with a view out into the pool area, garden, and sea. Mom and John sat in their respective places at the ends of the table, Lester and Daniel on John's right and Leah was already seated at mom's left.  
"Good morning." I greeted everyone and took my place by Leah.  
"Good morning Alana. How did you sleep last night?" asked John.  
"Very well thank you." I answered with a smile.  
As we waited for our food to be brought in and served by our butlers, I looked around. I noticed that Lester wore black pants, a white button up shirt covered by a black jacket. He too had a black ribbon around his neck tied into a bow. Leah's uniform was red. She wore a white button up shirt. A red sweater vest over, keeping the last bottom button unbuttoned. A black jacket was over it with the their school emblem. Her skirt was plaid red and short. She also wore black stockings that were thigh high. Daniel's uniform was similar, the only difference was he wore black pants instead of a skirt and his sweater vest was black.

After breakfast, mom and John escorted us to the front door and wished us good luck. silver Cadillac. Leah and Daniel got inside and their driver Gustavo closed their door. He went around to the driver's side got in and drove off. Daniel and Leah went to Santa Lucia Private School. They were both in 8th grade and would transfer to Weston Private Academy next year. A bright yellow BMW M3 stopped in front of me. The window pulled down.  
"Get in Lana. Since you don't have a car we'll ride together." Lester said.  
_Lana. He already gave me a nickname. How dare he. But...I liked it._ I silently climbed in the front passenger's seat and buckled up.  
"My car will be shipped by the end of this week, so I'll have to bother until then." I answered politely yet with an edge I hoped he'd notice.

The drive to the academy wasn't long. Partly because Lester was driving like a maniac. I drive pretty fast myself, but within reason. When we reached the school, it looked like a gothic palace. Expensive cars were parked in the front. Some had drivers. Girls had the same uniform on as me and the guys the same as Lester, though some added their own personal styles to it. I stepped out of the car, dazed in awe.  
"Lester!" I heard a squeal that brought me back to reality. I looked over in the direction of the sound. A petite brunette ran into Lester's arms and kissed him full force on the mouth. _Ok that is awkward._ I turned away trying to give them some privacy. I would have left, but he was supposed to show me to the main office.  
"Cathy, stop." Lester mumbled against her lips.  
"Why?" she whined.  
"I want you to meet my soon to be step sister."  
I looked over at her. Her brown eyes scanned me with curiosity.  
"It's nice to meet you Cathy..." I started not knowing her last name.  
"Norton." she finished for me. "My father is Andy Norton, the sheriff of Weston."  
"My name is Alana Janes."  
"Hm. Nice name. I guess you'll still have the same initials even after the wedding. How cool is that?"  
I looked at her confused.  
"Well Lester's last name is Jenks. Your last names both start with a J" she explained as if that was obvious.  
"I'm keeping my last name. Only my mom is changing hers."  
"Oh." We stood in awkward silence. She was an interesting character. Small, insignificant things like these amuse her.  
"Well, I have to show Alana the office, I'll see you later Cathy." he broke the silence.

The office was easy to find. Directly to the left as you enter the building. I felt embarrassed that I waited. I was given my schedule and a map showing me where to go. My first class was Statistics with Tony O'Connor on the second floor. I took the stairs and found the classroom easily. The desks were arranged in traditional rows with the teacher's desk in front of the blackboard. _Hm. They still use a blackboard here._ I walked up to the teacher and gave him a slip to sign.  
"Welcome Miss Janes. You'll have a lot to catch up on since this is a ways into the semester already. You may take your seat next to Mr. Jenks." Mr. O'Connor said giving me back the slip and gesturing to the empty seat next to Lester.  
_Great. I have class with him._ I walked to the seat and sat down. I felt his gaze on me the whole way but I didn't return it. I flipped through the book that was on the desk absorbing the information that they have studied already. Second period was Physics on the other end of the second floor with Sarah Wallis. Again Lester was in the same class and again I sat next to him. Third period I had English with George Eastburn on the third floor. Though Lester was in this class, I sat next to his babbling girlfriend Cathy. For some reason unknown to me she was excited and wanted to be my friend.  
"I know this great place where we can shop. Do you like shopping? I love shopping. Oh, and then we could go get our hair and nails done..." At this point I droned her out. English was an easy subject. I mean come on, I spoke it everyday. Fourth period I had Spanish on the first floor. Lester had Gym. Senor Javier Sanchez was a kind old man. He greeted me and showed me to sit by a girl in the back that didn't seem to have any friends. As everyone else was talking animatedly a round, she sat silently by herself.  
"Hi." I said sitting down next to her.  
"Hello." she answered in a soft shy voice.  
"My name is Alana Janes. What's yours?" I was determined to make her talk to me.  
"Sandra Garcia."  
"It's nice to meet you." During class I didn't pay much attention to the lesson. I knew Spanish well. During the 8 years of the time we lived with mom, we lived in Spain for 3 years. I knew the language fluently. I watched Sandra from the corner of my eye. She had two thick braids with black ribbons at the end of each. Her long black eyelashes made her big dark brown eyes stand out. Her skin was tan. I suppose she was Latino. The lunch bell interrupted my observations.  
"Do you want to eat lunch together?" I asked her.  
"Umm."  
"I'm knew here, so I was wondering if you wanted to be my friend." I was never the first person to ask to be a friend. But this girl made me want to be her friend.  
"Sure." She said smiling weakly.  
We walked into the cafeteria. When we walked in, it looked like a restaurant. There was a buffet, booths, tables, cushions, and mirrored walls. _Wow. This is different from movie cafeterias._ I thought to myself. Sandra and I got our lunch and sat in one of the booths by a large window that had a view of the ocean.  
"So Sandra, how long have you lived in Weston?" I asked interested.  
"A year even." she replied.  
_Cool. I'm not the only newbie here._ I thought relieved. More students were filing in and glancing our way. I ignored them.  
"Where are you originally from?" I continued.  
"Argentina."  
"Oh thats cool. My family goes several generation back to China. But I was born in Toronto. I've lived in Spain for about 3 years before we moved down here."  
"You lived in Spain?" a squeaky voice asked that definitely didn't belong to Sandra. I looked up and saw Cathy hanging on Lester's arm.  
"Yes. Is that a problem?" I asked her.  
"No. That's so cool." she answered. I looked over at Lester who didn't seem too happy that she was jumping up and down jerking his arm as they walked to get their food. I chuckled to myself.  
"Why did you move to Weston?" Sandra suddenly asked.  
"My mom is remarrying someone that lives here." I answered. "You know Lester Jenks."  
She looked over at him and nodded.  
"His father is the man my mom is marrying."  
"Wow." was all she said.  
We talked about our likes and dislikes, boys that we never dated, and our schedule. Turns out we both had the exact same schedule. I was ecstatic.  
After lunch we walked to Gym together. Lester had Spanish this period. We played tennis at the tennis court. I loved to play tennis. I learned to play since I was 5. Sandra had some trouble so I helped her a lot. After Gym, we walked to our seventh period History class with Yolanda Garcia on the third floor. Senora Garcia is Sandra's mother. I wondered of that was why people ignored her. Sandra introduced me to her mother and her mother excited that her daughter made a friend had us sit together. Lester and Cathy had this class too.

After the last bell rang, all the students hung out on the parking lot talking. Sandra and I hung out by Lester's car while he and Cathy were talking to a group of guys.  
"Do you want to come over to my house this Friday for a sleepover?" I asked.  
"Sure. I'll ask my mom." By this time, Sandra was comfortable around me and was cheerful.  
"You know there's a boy staring at you." I said.  
She glanced over her shoulder.  
"Oh, that's James Peterson. His father is the owner of Weston Bank. I've had a crush on him ever since I moved here."  
"Then why don't you ask him out?"  
"I can't do that. The guy should ask first. Besides, he probably doesn't like me. I'm sure he's actually staring at you."  
"Oh believe me, I know when someone is staring at me. My skin starts to burn even if I'm not looking. He is definitely staring at you."  
She shook her head and sighed. Lester came up.  
"Let's go Lana." he said hopping into the car. "Bye Sandra."  
"See you tomorrow Sandra." I said hugging her.  
She smiled and walked into the building to wait for her mother.

"So you and Garcia, huh?" he muttered on the way home.  
"What?" I asked confused.  
"You're friends with Garcia."  
"Yeah, is that a problem?"  
"No, just nobody ever paid any attention to her. She keeps to herself."  
"Well, I don't see anything wrong with her. I like her. She's cool."  
He didn't say anything. This day turned out quite unexpected. I made a friend and I was definitely going to win the bet.


	3. Chapter 3 Sleepover

Chapter 3: Sleepover

My mother was ecstatic that I made a friend on the first day of school.  
"That is so great honey. When will I get to meet her?" she asked. We were sitting on the back porch lounging and drinking hot chocolate.  
"I invited her for a sleepover on Friday." I said.  
"Oh that's wonderful!" My mom exclaimed. She was so excited as if it was her sleepover.  
"Are you planning on inviting her to the wedding?"  
"Can I?"  
"Of course. Maybe she can be one of the bridesmaids."  
I beamed. I loved my mom. She was cool. She knew what teenagers wanted and would comply within reason.  
"Well, I have homework to do." I said getting up. "Lots to catch up on."  
"Ok. See you at dinner."

I walked up the stairs, my heels clicking. I changed my clothes into a white button up shirt with a brown Fair Isle Dress from RRL over it. I wore purple and black striped knee high stockings and brown heels. I wore a brown cap when I went outside. As I reached the second floor, Leah skipped down the stairs still wearing her school uniform.  
"Hey LJ, I see you like your uniform" I said chuckling.  
"I know isn't it cool? I like yours too. Can't wait till I get to wear it next year." We sat down on the steps.  
"How was your day? Did you make any friends?"  
"Yeah. DJ introduced me to some of his friends. We're going to the movies on Friday all together."  
"That's cool. Who's DJ?" I asked a little confused.  
"Daniel."  
"Oh." I understood. She used his initials like I used for her.  
"How was your day?" she asked.  
"It was nice. I met a girl. Her name is Sandra Garcia. I invited her over for a sleep over. Mom even said I can invite her over to the wedding and maybe she can be a bridesmaid.  
"That's cool." she said looking over her shoulder.  
"Are you looking for someone?"  
"Not really. DJ was planning on showing me something and told me to wait downstairs. Don't know what's taking so long."  
"Don't you have homework?"  
"Yeah. We're gonna do it after dinner. There's not much. We have the same schedule, so that's pretty cool."  
I smiled. She and Daniel were getting along very well. Like best friends.  
"Ok well have fun, I have catching up to do."

I went to my room and closed the door. For some reason I had a strong urge to listen to Latin guitar music. I went to my CD shelf and pulled out the Trio Caliente CD. I placed it into the CD player and pressed play. I liked to work with background music. Climbing on my bed I took out my homework and started doing it. After a while I picked up my cell phone and dialed Sandra.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey Sandra."  
"Oh hi Alana. What's up?"  
"So did you ask you mom about the sleep over?"  
"Yea, she said it was fine."  
"That's great. My mom is really excited about it too. Hey what do you think about being one of the bridesmaid's at my mom's wedding?"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. My mom suggested it."  
"I'd love that. I've never done anything like that before."  
"Great. I'll tell my mom. Well I'll see you tomorrow."  
"K, bye."

By the time dinner arrived, I had caught up on all the Stats homework and finished the assignment assigned for tonight. I was proud of myself. I was lucky to have a brain that absorbed information well. During dinner, we talked about how our days went and plans for getting ready for the wedding. My mom decided to go for a final fitting of her wedding dress this Saturday and said to bring Sandra along to try on her bridesmaid dress. After dinner I decided to do all of tonights assignments and catch up later. When I finished, I pulled out my Snow Leopard book and started to look through it. My father gave it to me on my 8th birthday. The cat itself was beautiful. Looking through the book made me miss those days when we all would go camping and run around in the snow during winter. Unknowingly I drifted off into slumber dreaming.

_There was snow everywhere. The sun was shining, and rainbows glittered off the snow. Four Snow Leopard's ran through it playing and rolling around. The two little cubs ran after their parents over the heaps of snow. With every jump they sank into the snow like it was water. It was a beautiful loving scene. The family was together. They were happy. Nothing else mattered. _

The whole week went smoothly. Sandra and I chatted and got to know each other better. I felt like we knew each other our whole lives. I caught up on Physics and English already. On Thursday I got home from school to a pleasant surprise. My car had arrived. It was a shiny red, Turbo 911 Porche convertible. Lester's jaw dropped. I smirked. Now I had my own ride.  
"Thanks for driving me this whole week. Now that my car is here you don't need to worry about that anymore."  
"Uh, yeah, no problem, sure." he stuttered staring at my car.

When Friday rolled around, Sandra and I were jumping for joy. Not literally of course. When I arrived to school, she put her things in my trunk and we went to class together. Everyone there stared at the shiny loveliness that stood in the parking lot. The day seemed to be too slow. We just left Physics and it felt like a whole day went by already.  
"Arg, we'll never get out of here." I moaned.  
Sandra chuckled.  
"I think it's because there's something more fun waiting for us later."  
"Yeah." I sighed as we entered English class. The whole day seemed to roll in slow motion. It annoyed me. Finally the final bell rang and Sandra said bye to her mom.  
"You girls be careful. Don't do anything dangerous." she warned smiling.  
"Ok bye mom."  
"Bye Senora Garcia."  
"Bye girls."  
We reached the parking lot to a crowd around my car. We had to squeeze in and got in the car. I started the car. My CD player was finishing 3 by Britney Spears. As I rolled down the roof, a new song started, Energetic by BoA.  
"Oh I love this song." Sandra cried.  
"Really? Me too." I turned up the volume. We laughed and started to move to the beat. The people started to part as I weaseled my way out. From the corner of my eye I saw Cathy and Lester gaping with their mouth hanging open.

When we got home my mom was jumping up and down like a ball.  
"Oh you must be Sandra. It's so good to finally meet you." she pulled her into a hug.  
"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Janes." Sandra said in shock.  
"Oh please, call me Jane."  
Sandra nodded. We went to my room and I closed the door.

I had Mary bring our dinner to my room. We watched 13 Going on 30, Mean Girls, and Sleepover. After the movies we did each other's nails and hair. Time flew by so fast that while talking on the bed we fell asleep.

"Miss Alana, please wake up." Mary's voice rang. I sighed and opened my eyes.  
"What is it Mary?"  
"You mother wants you girls to get to breakfast now. You will be leaving in a hour."  
"Oh thank you." I rolled over and nudged Sandra.  
"Hey S, wake up." She moaned. I chuckled to myself and went to take a shower. Mary brought me my clothes that I prepared last night. I wore a Fair Isle off-shoulder dress with black leggings and black heels. I did my makeup and let my hair down in waves. By the time I was done Sandra finally rolled out of bed and went to shower. I had Julian iron her outfit. She decided to wear black skinny jeans and heels. She wore a red, yellow, purple plaid button up shirt. I helped her apply some makeup and did her hair. I let if down loosely in waves and topped it off with a black French style beret hat. We grabbed our bags and went downstairs for breakfast. My mom and Leah already started eating. Mom looked casual but nice. She wore gray leggings and brown heels. Her shirt was a green, purple, khaki plaid tunic topped with a brown belt. Leah surprised me by wearing an Eileen Satin shirt dress with black leggings. I didn't even know she owned a dress. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she looked sleep deprived. She must of stayed up with DJ playing video games in his room again.  
"Good morning girls." she chirped. "Did you sleep well?"  
"Mhm." we mumbled while chewing our pancakes.  
"Well, that's good. You're going to need your energy today. I decided to go on a shopping spree after the fittings. What do you think?"  
"Are you serious?" I nearly screamed. She smiled. I loved shopping with my mom. She had great taste and had a great sense of style.

John and the boys were still sleeping when we left. Mom's driver Philippe drove up in a white AW e92. It was my mom's favorite car. She had it shipped down her with mine. Though she could drive, she felt like having a driver today.

The fitting went well. Mom's dress was a fairytale. It was white with some red veil fabric. Her veil was bordered with red flowers. It fit perfectly. Our bridesmaid dresses were also red. The dresses were sleeveless and modern mermaid style.

After the fitting it was lunch time so we went out to an Italian restaurant to eat. After we went on our shopping spree to the mall. After going through hundreds of shoes, shirts, skirts, shorts, dresses, pants, jeans, etc. we finally made it out of there 10 bags per person. Sandra went home after dinner because she needed to go to church tomorrow. Her family were strong Catholics. I've never gone to a church before I thought about going someday with her.

On Monday, during lunch, Sandra and I talked about the final wedding preparations. She offered to help with the private reception decorating that would be at our house. We planned some games for the young people that were going to be there. Lester and Cathy sat with us giving their ideas. I wasn't sure when we became so close but whatever.

Friday night, I standing on my balcony enjoying the view of the ocean.  
"So how's the catching up going?" Lester suddenly asked.  
"I'm done." I said flatly.  
"No way. You're bluffing."  
"Come and see if you want."  
He disappeared and reappeared in my room a second later. He looked through my papers as I watched amused at his bewildered face.  
"Wow, I didn't even know it was possible."  
"It was easy. I know Spanish fluently so that didn't take long. I'm really good at math, so Statistics didn't take long either. English? Hello, I speak it everyday. The only real challenges were Physics and History." I explained indifferently looking back at the ocean.  
"Wow. What school did you go to before?" he asked walking up and standing next to me on the balcony.  
"I didn't go to any school. I was educated at home."  
He was silent for a moment.  
"So this is your first time going to as school with other kids." It wasn't a question.  
"Yep." I sighed.  
"There's going to be a Halloween party at Leopard's the Saturday after the wedding." he said.  
I frowned.  
"What?"  
"You know. I promised to take you to the night club if you won the bet."  
"Oh." realization hit me. "Leopard's is the name of the club. He nodded.  
"Cool."  
"It's a masquerade ball. You need to get a costume."  
"I have a couple."  
He raised his eyebrows.  
"We went shopping last week. I decided to by some costumes for the Halloween party Mom was throwing for Leah and Daniel."  
"Oh. Well I guess you're not going to be here then."  
"I guess so."

Tomorrow was the wedding. It will be busy. Yet I had a feeling it was going to change something in my life.


	4. Chapter 4 Wedding

_Chapter 4: Wedding_

_The snow glistened from the sun's rays as a pack of snow leopards played in it. Their playful growls echoed in the empty snowy meadow. The family was together again, enjoying the moment. They were together with no worries, no secrets. Nothing could be better than a solid relationship between the family members._

I woke up to squealing and my bed shaking. Leah, Sandra, and Mary were shaking my bed trying to wake me up.  
"Finally." Sandra said.  
"We thought we'd never wake you up." Leah added.  
"Miss Alana, please get up its time to eat breakfast and get ready for the ceremony." Mary said politely.  
Right, the ceremony. Today we were going to officially be part of the Jenks family. I yawned and stretched loudly. Again I dreamt the same dream. I sighed. I got out of bed and took a shower. I put on my robe and went to join everyone for breakfast. The sun wasn't up yet, though the house was already bustling with energy. Last minute preparations were being made and we needed to get ready. Part of the reception decorations were already up. During the ceremony, the maids and butlers would finish it up. Sandra and I wrote a detailed plan for them to follow. Everyone rushed through breakfast barely saying anything and rushing up to get dressed.

The wedding planner and mom's maid Corean helped her get her dress on. A hair cosmetologist came in to do her hair an makeup. Katy helped Leah to get ready. The guys got ready on their own with occasional help from their butlers. Mary helped Sandra and me to put our dresses on and do our hair. I did our makeup. By the time were were done it was already 9. The white Excalibur limo had already arrived and a red carpet was stretched from the door to the limo. A photographer took some pictures of us by the house, then by the limo, and then in the limo.

The church was beautiful. Sandra talked to the priest of the church to allow the wedding to go on there. It was easy to persuade him because he was their family friend. We didn't invite a lot of people so we had a small ceremony in the glass room of the church. Mom walked down the isle to the song Waiting for You. It was beautiful. I thought I would cry. John stood smiling in his white tux. His shirt was red with a white tie. The guys were just the opposite. They wore red suits. Their shirts were white with red ties. Lester's best friend Chris Reed was a groomsman. Lester was the best man and Daniel was the ring bearer. I was the maid of honor, Sandra the bride's maid, and Leah the flower girl. Mom's bouquet consisted of a lot of white roses, some white callas, and a little red roses on the borders. Our bouquets consisted of a lot of red roses and some white callas. The wedding bands were silver and braided. The ceremony didn't last long.

After the ceremony we headed to a park, then an old castle in Presque Isle, and finally on a beach next to a light house to take pictures.

When we got home, the quests have already arrived to the greenhouse that the reception was held at. The maids and butlers did a great job decorating it. I was proud of them. Since the couple was getting married the second time and their parents were dead, the bride and groom danced their first dance together instead of the traditional father daughter dance. They danced a Latin tango. As expected from my mother. She would do something crazy even at her own wedding. When the reception was over, Mom and John headed to the airport to spend their honeymoon on a 7-day cruise to the Bahamas.

Lester, Daniel, Chris, Sandra, Leah, and I went to the pool side that was now an after party for the young people. It looked like a luau. Though it was late October now, the weather warmed up for the wedding. I was glad. Some kids were already in the pool screaming and splashing, while others were dancing to Pitbull's Hotel Room Service. Sandra and I sat down at a patio table talking about the wedding when Lester came up with a guy I saw earlier.  
"Hey Alana, meet you step-cousin-in-law Chad."  
That confused me.  
"Step cousin in law?" I questioned.  
"Yea, my dad's brother remarried a widow. He's her son." Lester explained.  
"Hi, I'm Chad." He introduced himself with an appraising look. Something about his gaze in his dark black eyes, sent shivers down my back.  
"Hi I'm Alana. Nice to meet you. This is my best friend Sandra."  
"Yeah, I know. We go to the same school"  
"We do?"  
"Yeah, we have History together."  
"Oh. I haven't seen you. Sorry."  
"It's ok, I sit in the back by the windows."  
Just then Chris ran up to Lester and pulled him away explaining that Cathy was looking for him.  
"So do you want to dance?" Chad asked me.  
"Uh, well,.."  
"Its ok AJ, you go on, I think my mom is waiting for me. I'll see you Monday." Sandra interrupted me.  
"Oh ok. See you." I hugged her and turned to Chad. "Sure."

We danced to Sexy Chick by David Guetta. My hips swayed to the beat as his hands ran down them. Static ran through that area. Time seemed to slow down as our breathing escalated. He turned he so I was facing him and ran his hand down my back. I shivered involuntarily. Our faces were several inches away. I could feel his breath on my cheek. Suddenly his lips crashed on mine. We stood there in the middle of the dance floor kissing. His arms pulled me tighter as I put my arms around his neck. We were lost in our own little world not noticing the people around us cheering.

We decided to take our make out session to the beach. I sat on the sat cuddling against his chest.  
"Alana?" his voice soothed.  
"Yes?"  
"Will you go out with me this Saturday?"  
"Uh..I was planning on going to a masquerade party at Leopard's"  
"I was planning on taking you there." he chuckled.  
"Well then, yes." So now I had a date. A hot date. I could feel his burning gaze on my skin but I didn't look up.

On Monday, Sandra greeted me on the parking lot.  
"So, what happened?" she asked eagerly.  
"We danced, we kissed, then cuddled, kissed some more, and now we're going to the masquerade ball together at Leopard's."  
"That is so cool. But...I feel like a third wheel now."  
"Don't be silly. It's perfectly fine. Besides, I was thinking of taking one car and going to the ball together with Chad, Chris, Lester, Cathy and me. Chris was bringing Senatra with him. It's perfectly fine."  
"Why is he bringing Senatra?"  
Senatra was the academy slut. She had beauty but no brains.  
"I don't know, I think they hooked up at some party last week."

At lunch we had to move to a bigger table. Lester sat with Cathy in his arms, Chad had his arm around me, Sandra sat next to me, and Chris was making out with Senatra. We were talking about going to the movies together next weekend.

As lunch progressed, I felt my face burn, I looked up and saw Lester watching me. His eyes had a strange expression that I couldn't read. _Is that jealousy? No it couldn't be._ I thought. I looked back down at my food. Yes, I was interested in my now step brother, but I knew it wasn't possible. He had a girlfriend, I had a boyfriend, and the most important we were step-siblings. Not that it was illegal, its just, people might not accept it. Besides I didn't know if he liked me too. But from the look on his face today and his actions with Cathy lately, it kind of spelled out like. I tried to ignore it. It wasn't possible.

After school the last bell rang and Chad kissed me goodbye before driving away. Sandra and I hung out by my car when James Peterson suddenly came up to us.  
"Hi."  
We nodded.  
"Uh, Sandra? I was wondering, would you go to the masquerade ball at Leopard's with me this Saturday?"  
Sandra stood there shocked. A smile grew on my face, while James started to fidget at the silence. I nudged Sandra.  
"Yes," she blurted out.  
"Really?"  
"Yea."  
"Man, that's great."  
"Yeah now we can all go together. You both, me and Chad, Lester and Cathy, and Chris and Senatra."  
At home I explained the plan to Lester and he agreed to tell everyone else tomorrow.

The week past, James was an addition to our table at lunch. We were excited about the upcoming ball. We were talking about what to wear to the ball.  
"I was thinking.." Senatra said.  
"That's a new one." Lester blurted out causing the whole table to burst out in a roar of laughter.  
"No just listen. Why don't we dress the same."  
"I don't know Sen." Chris started.  
"Hey why not the girls dress similar and the guys dress similar." Cathy added.  
"That is something." I said.  
"How about this. The girls dress in Greek goddess costumes and the guys dress up in something dark." Sandra said.  
"That sounds really cool." James added supporting his girlfriend.  
"Ok so lets go shopping after school then." Lester said.

As soon as the bell rang, we headed toward the Halloween costume outlet. After two hours of choosing we bought our costumes not revealing any clues as to what they look like. We would surprise our partners tomorrow night.


	5. Chapter 5 Masquerade

Chapter 5: Masquerade

Saturday morning, Mom and John arrived from their honeymoon and helped decorate for the Middle School Halloween party.  
"Leah, are you sure you want to wear this?" I said eying the vampiress dress she bought.  
"Yes, Daniel and I decided to dress up as vampires."  
"You and Daniel seem to be close."  
"Yeah we're best friends." I nodded.  
I helped Leah do her hair and makeup and helped her put on the dress. I would never admit it to her, but she looked nice in that. For some reason, it suited her well. When I was finished I went down to see if the girls had arrived. We decided to get dressed together. Sandra, Cathy and Senetra arrived as I descended the stairs.  
"Hey chicas."  
"Hey. You ready?"  
"Yep lets go to my room."  
We first helped Cathy to get dressed. She was too excited to have any patience. Cathy's dress was white and had a frilly skirt and puffy sleeves. Her shoes were sandals that reached her knees. Her hair was made down and wavy. Next we helped Senetra. Her dress was blue and barely covered her butt. Slutty as possible. It was very low cut showing a lot of her cleavage. She wore very high clear stilettos and a gold arm bracelet around her right upper arm. Her hair was pulled to one side and a gold chain went around her forehead. Next was Sandra. We curled her hair unto medium curls adding a white flower to the side. Her dress was white. The back of it went to the floor while the front was to her knees. The top part of it looked like a golden corset. Her shoes were gold stilettos.

It was now my turn. My dress was long. The left part of it was white with a golden band around the bottom. The right part was a burgundy color that wound around the back. A gold band went around my rib cage and matching cold arm bracelets for both my upper arms. My hair was part down and part up. A gold crown was placed on top of my head with dangly parts that looked like earrings coming down on both sides. I had gold stilettos. When we were ready Mary went downstairs to tell the boys we were coming. Senetra came down first. Chris watched her as she descended down the stairs and greeted her by taking her arm and stepping to the side. Then went Cathy, Sandra, and me. The boys were dressed in black suits and black hats. They looked like the men in black minus the dark glasses. When I was coming down the steps, I saw Lester practically drooling, making me smirk.

Senetra insisted on using her limo for the ride so we all got in. When we reached Leopard's you could feel the beat of the music vibrating from the ground. The inside had pink, purple and blue lights. People were dressed in various costumes dancing, drinking, and laughing. Weston had its own laws for under aged drinking. All parents had to sign a waiver allowing the kid to drink. Since it was a pretty small town, everyone knew who was allowed to drink and who wasn't, so there wasn't much problem with that.

The party was amazing. Chad and I danced, laughed and drank a lot. Though the liquor didn't bother me. After ten drinks, Chad started to mutter some nonsense so I left him to sleep in some booth. I joined the girls in dancing. After a while we decided to play a game of Spin the Bottle Truth, Dare or Drink.  
"So who'd going first?" Chris asked.  
"I will." Senetra piped. She spun the bottle and it landed on Sandra.  
"Truth or Dare?"  
"Truth."  
"Who was your first crush?"  
"James." Sandra said blushing causing James to kiss her. Sandra spun the bottle and it landed on Chris."  
"Truth or Dare?"  
"Dare."  
"I dare you to do a pole dance with one of those dancers." Chris got up and went to dance with them. We watched in amazement as the crowd cheered for him. He cam back and spun the bottle which landed on me.  
"Truth or Dare?"  
"Dare."  
"Kiss Lester." Time froze. His words rang in my head as I was trying to register what he said.  
"What?"  
"Kiss Lester or drink." I gulped. I wanted to, I really did, but was this ok? It was a dare I couldn't lose face in front of them. I looked over at Cathy who stared at me in anticipation.  
"He has a girlfriend Chris."  
"I don't care if you kiss him." Cathy said. I sighed. _No. I can't do this. But I really want to. But he's my stepbrother. So what? You're not related. I'm gonna drink instead._ I was about to reach for the liquor when I felt two strong hand pull me and lips crashed to mine. My mind whirled. Electricity ran through my body. Kissing Chad was nothing compared too this. I was in heaven. I pulled away gasping for air looking into his burning with desire eyes. I looked away spinning the bottle. It landed on Cathy.  
"Truth or Dare?"  
"Dare."  
"Kiss Senetra." I said evilly. Cathy reached over and kissed Senetra full force on the mouth. After that licking her lips. This went on back and forth until the players started to decrease because of the number of times they drank and were now passed out. Sandra, Lester and I were still able to speak clearly. We stopped playing the game and watched as the crowd started to decrease. The music now calmed down to slow dancing.  
"Hey I think I better take James home. I'll call my driver."  
"Ok. See you Monday." Lester helped her get James into the car and she drove off. I called Chad's driver and he came to pick him up. Senetra's driver took her and Cathy home leaving only me and Lester. It was awkward. We sat in silence watching the couples sway lightly to the music.  
"You look really beautiful today." Lester broke the silence.  
"Thanks, not bad yourself." I answered. We stared into each other's eyes until our lips suddenly crashed together again. When did we get so close again? Why was I enjoying this so much? Did he like me?

When I woke up I was in my room. _How did I get here? what happened last night? _Last nights events flooded my mind. I sighed.  
"Finally." a voice startled me. I jumped up. Lester was sitting on my balcony drinking coffee.  
"What are you doing here?" I screeched.  
"Shouldn't you thank me for not leaving you at Leopard's first?"  
"Thanks." I mumbled.  
"I wanted to talk."  
"About what?"  
"Anything."  
"What do you want to know?"  
"Tell me about your family."  
"There's an album on the shelf that can tell you anything." I pointed to the shelf. He went to it and sat back down flipping through it. I got up to look at myself in the mirror.  
"Why do you have a picture of Snow Leopard's in your family album?"  
I froze in my tracks. _Crap. I forgot that was there. _  
"It just like how there is a sense of family bonding between them." He nodded. So you like horseback riding and tennis.  
"Yeah. My dad taught me."  
He finished looking at the album and put it back.  
"Do you like to read? You have so many books" he commented looking at my bookshelves.  
"Yeah." He nodded looking through them.  
"I'll be back." I grabbed grabbed my black buttoned mockneck cable dress, black french beret hat, black and white striped thigh high stockings and black heels. I jumped into the shower, quickly washing myself and dressing. I brushed my hair putting on the hat and applied a light amount of makeup. As I exited the bathroom, Lester grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my room and down the hall.  
"Where are you taking me?" I asked stumbling after him down the stairs.  
"I want to show you something." he said excitedly.

We stopped in front of two large double doors. He pushed them open and we walked in to a room full of books. I was as tall as the mansion itself with a winding staircase going up. I stared in awe nit realizing my mouth was hanging open. Lester laughed.  
"Lana, close your mouth before you swallow a fly." I shut it instantly.  
"I had no idea a room like this existed here."  
"Well now you know. I bet you'll be spending a lot of your time here now, huh?"  
I smiled.  
"Thanks for showing it to me." He smiled back.

I spent most of the that day in the library, getting familiar with what was available. I was surprised at how much stuff I could get here without going to the public library. The masquerade ball brought Lester and I closer together. We started to spend more and more time together, and I knew it wasn't healthy for us. He started neglecting Cathy and I felt bad.

Thanksgiving past and lots of things have changed since then. Sandra and James were close together and their relationship was progressing beautifully. Chris and Senetra decided to try commitment. Though Senetra had no brains, she was fun to hang around with. She was all in all a good person. Cathy and Lester were on a post breakup let's stay friends relationship phase. Though Chad and I were still dating, we were distant. I didn't feel so close to him anymore. I suspected that he and Cathy had a thing for each other but I didn't pursue that matter. I was selfish. I wanted to deal with my own issues first. The last night of November it snowed. It was a beautiful sight to watch. The flurries fell from the sky calmly and quietly. My heart raced. This was the season I've been waiting for for so long. Snow. The season that fit perfectly with who I really was. And who am I? I am a Snow Leopard.


	6. Chapter 6 Date

Chapter 6: Date

"Hey Babe, what do you think about going to the movies tomorrow night?" Chad asked as we all sat at our usual table at lunch minus Cathy.  
"Sure, sounds great." I shrugged.  
"Cool, then I'll pick you up at 6:30 for the 7 o'clock showing." I nodded. I wasn't really enthusiastic about this.  
"Hey I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow." he got up and left.  
"AJ what's wrong with you?" Sandra asked.  
"I'm not sure, he seems so distant recently."  
"Did you tell him about what happened at the masquerade ball or something?"  
"No. How could I tell him about that."  
"Maybe you should date more. When was the last time you went on a date?"  
"I don't know, two months ago? We scheduled many dates, but he would always call and cancel."  
"Aw babe, I'm sorry."  
"It's alright. Isn't that how life is?"

As I was getting ready for my date with Chad, I was wondering if I was doing something wrong. He liked the way I dressed. I hadn't changed my style. I pulled out my date outfit and put it on. It was a light D&G Dolce & Gabbana Winter Outfit. Thought it was snowing outside, it didn't bother me. I was immune to that type of weather. Chad picked me up at 6:30 sharp and we headed to the movies. Half way through the movie, he went into the lobby to take a phone call. I continued to watch the movie. As the movie showed signs of ending, Chad hadn't returned so I decided to go check on him. As I left the theater, my eyes started to burn. Cathy and Chad were standing in the middle of the lobby making out full force. Tear spilled down my face. _How could he cheat? If he wanted to break up he could have said so. I would have been happy to let him go. _It wasn't the fact that he didn't want me anymore that upset me, it was the fact that he cheated. Not only that it was in public. It was plain humiliating.

I ran out of the theater in no particular direction. I ran as my tears ran down my face. After a while I was too exhausted to run and stopped. I looked around but had no idea where I was. _What am I going to do now? _I looked around in panic. Then I remembered Lester. He would help me. I quickly dialed his number.  
"Lana? Aren't you on your date with Chad? What's wrong?"  
"Les," I cried into the phone. I couldn't say anything.  
"What happened?" his voice was now tense.  
"Chad...Cathy...cheated...I ran...." I broke off into uncontrollable sobs again. Though I didn't make sense at all, he understood.  
"Where are you?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"Turn on your navigator, I'll find you through that." I did as I was told. Sure enough, 15 minutes passed and he was there hugging me.  
"It's ok. It'll be all right." he tried to calm me down.  
"I know it's just humiliating."  
"No one in school knows yet. Why don't you use reverse psychology. Break up with him at lunch." As mean as that sounded, I liked it. I nodded and he led me to his car.

I hadn't noticed that we weren't going home. Only when the car stopped and I was out of the car did I notice we were at the beach. He led me to the sand and we lay there watching the stars. Lester was silent. He respected my privacy and thoughts. He didn't want to force me to talk, because if I talked I would cry. I felt a warm had squeeze mine. My heart raced. His touch would always affect me. I turned to look at him and caught his looking at me.  
"Will you date me?" he suddenly asked. I frowned in shock.  
"What?" I finally managed to say.  
"I want you to be my girlfriend."  
"But how will the family take it?" I wondered out loud.  
"I heard dad and Jane talking about this. They were discussing ways of getting us together."  
I gaped. My mom and step-dad were planning on match making us?  
Lester laughed at my expression.  
"I'm still waiting for an answer."  
"I have to break up with Chad first then you have to get to know the real me before you make your final decision."  
"The real you?"  
"I, well my family to be exact, has a secret. But its not time to reveal it yet. My mom is planning on telling the whole family two weeks from now."  
"So after that you will give me your answer."  
"No, after that you will probably not want to date me anymore. But don't ask now. I won't tell."

On Monday, I broke up with Chad. He was red with humiliation. Nobody broke up with him. He was always the one to break up. But I beat him to it. I didn't tell him that I knew he cheated. As soon as I said the words, "Let's break up." I felt a load lift off my shoulders. I felt light and free.

Leah and I were sitting in the mansion library when mom came up to us.  
"Hey girls, what do you say we go and play in the snow a little?"  
"The three of us?" Leah asked.  
"Yes, John and the boys are going to Presque Isle to deal with some issues with Chad's parents. We have three whole hours."  
"Ok lets go." I said eagerly. It's been a while since I stretched my muscles this way. Mom took her car and drove into a deserted forest. We walked into it, fare enough where we couldn't see the road anymore. We stood in a straight line and crouched down. As we closed our eyes, our body changed into that of a Snow Leopard. We ran through the snow until we reached an open field and started to purr with delight at the sight of the snow.

"Didn't you say your ancestor's go all the way back to China?" Sandra asked one day as she was lounging on my bed looking though the Seventeen magazine.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"It's just you don't look Chinese." she said. I chuckled.  
"Legends say it started in China, but not necessarily are we supposed to be Chinese."  
"Can you tell me one legend?"  
"Well our family legend says that some of our ancestors come from the Snow Leopard."  
"You mean an animal?"  
"Yea."  
"You sure don't look like one."  
"Well it's a legend. Nobody proved it. Anyways. There was a small village of people living in the snowy mountains of China. The people there were running out of food and warmth. They needed to feed their families. One day a pack of Snow Leopards entered their village. The men of the village wanted to kill them, for food, but the look in the eyes of one of the leopards, stopped them. Some how, the leopards were able to make a deal with the men. If they didn't kill them, they would help their families survive. The men agreed. When morning came, the men went outside and found a bunch of deer and boars piled on the ground. The people were excited. They skinned the animals and used the fur for making new footwear and jackets for their children. The meat was used for food. Though they were grateful to the leopards, still many adults started to freeze. The leopards decided to do something that would change that village forever. They allowed the spirits of the people to enter their bodies. The human bodies froze but their spirits were alive in the leopards bodies. Now the adults were able to be warm and provide for their children. But there was one problem. The children need to be cared for and the leopards only had paws. The love of the parents allowed them to shift into human form and care for their children. Since then, that village became the Snow Leopard people. They would shift to animal form to hunt, and human form too care for their families. Because their spirits were in the animal bodies, when they had new children, they babies were born human with the ability to shift into Snow Leopards." Sandra stared. I wondered if I lost her.  
"Wow, that is lot of bull crap." she laughed.  
"Like I said, its just a legend." I tried to laugh. It was true. After all, I was a descendant from that village.

Two weeks later, there was a blizzard. Lester went to shop down a pine tree for our Christmas tree not far from the house when the blizzard started. John was pacing, while we sat in the library. Everyone was worried. I especially. What if something happened to him? I couldn't just sit there doing nothing. I snuck out of the room and ran outside shifting into the Snow Leopard. I used my senses to look for him. It was hard. The wind was blowing really hard and it was hard to catch his smell. I stood closing my eyes and listened. Through the howling wind, I heard his beating heart and chattering teeth. I ran in that direction. Not far off, I saw his shivering form lying on the snow. He hadn't reached the forest yet. I galloped to him and nudged him with my nose. He stared. Fear struck his eyes. But I ignored it. I grabbed him by the hood of his coat with my teeth and dragged him toward the house. It was awkward to pull him in that position. I couldn't set him on my back, so I was walking backwards, stopping every once in a while to glance behind myself and make sure I was going the right way.

Several minutes later, the house came into view. I pulled harder. When we reached the steps, I nudged him to get up and walk, but he was too weak. Again I pulled him through the door and into the library. I heard several gasps.  
"LESTER!" John yelled and ran over to examine his shivering son and pulled him close to the fireplace that was lit.  
"Alana!" my mom yelled in a hushed tone. I looked at her apologetically. But her eyes were filled with understanding.  
John turned toward me and Lester lifted his weak head.  
"What did you call that cat?" John asked my mom.  
I stared at Lester straight into his eyes. I knew that he would recognize mine. And he did.  
"Lana?" he murmured softly. I trotted closer to him and purred. His eyes widened. He lifted his shaking hand and stroked my fur. John stared in bewilderment.  
"I was planning on telling everyone about us." my mom explained. "Our family has a secret."  
John looked confused.  
"That is our secret." she pointed at me as John, Daniel, and Lester stared at me.


	7. Chapter 7 Nightmare

**7. NIGHTMARE**

I told Charlie I had a lot of homework to do, and that I didn't want anything to eat. There was a

basketball game on that he was excited about, though of course _I _had no idea what was special about it,

so he wasn't aware of anything unusual in my face or tone.

Once in my room, I locked the door. I dug through my desk until I found my old headphones, and I

plugged them into my little CD player. I picked up a CD that Phil had given to me for Christmas. It was

one of his favorite bands, but they used a little too much bass and shrieking for my tastes. I popped it into

place and lay down on my bed. I put on the headphones, hit Play, and turned up the volume until it hurt

my ears. I closed my eyes, but the light still intruded, so I added a pillow over the top half of my face.

I concentrated very carefully on the music, trying to understand the lyrics, to unravel the complicated

drum patterns. By the third time I'd listened through the CD, I knew all the words to the choruses, at

least. I was surprised to find that I really did like the band after all, once I got past the blaring noise. I'd

have to thank Phil again.

And it worked. The shattering beats made it impossible for me to think — which was the whole purpose

of the exercise. I listened to the CD again and again, until I was singing along with all the songs, until,

finally, I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to a familiar place. Aware in some corner of my consciousness that I was dreaming, I

recognized the green light of the forest. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere

nearby. And I knew that if I found the ocean, I'd be able to see the sun. I was trying to follow the sound,

but then Jacob Black was there, tugging on my hand, pulling me back toward the blackest part of the

forest.

"Jacob? What's wrong?" I asked. His face was frightened as he yanked with all his strength against my

resistance; I didn't want to go into the dark.

"Run, Bella, you have to run!" he whispered, terrified.

"This way, Bella!" I recognized Mike's voice calling out of the gloomy heart of the trees, but I couldn't

see him.

"Why?" I asked, still pulling against Jacob's grasp, desperate now to find the sun.

But Jacob let go of my hand and yelped, suddenly shaking, falling to the dim forest floor. He twitched on

the ground as I watched in horror.

"Jacob!" I screamed. But he was gone. In his place was a large red-brown wolf with black eyes. The

wolf faced away from me, pointing toward the shore, the hair on the back of his shoulders bristling, low

growls issuing from between his exposed fangs.

"Bella, run!" Mike cried out again from behind me. But I didn't turn. I was watching a light coming toward

me from the beach.

And then Edward stepped out from the trees, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He

held up one hand and beckoned me to come to him. The wolf growled at my feet.

I took a step forward, toward Edward. He smiled then, and his teeth were sharp, pointed.

"Trust me," he purred.

I took another step.

The wolf launched himself across the space between me and the vampire, fangs aiming for the jugular.

"No!" I screamed, wrenching upright out of my bed.

My sudden movement caused the headphones to pull the CD player off the bedside table, and it clattered

to the wooden floor.

My light was still on, and I was sitting fully dressed on the bed, with my shoes on. I glanced, disoriented,

at the clock on my dresser. It was five-thirty in the morning.

I groaned, fell back, and rolled over onto my face, kicking off my boots. I was too uncomfortable to get

anywhere near sleep, though. I rolled back over and unbuttoned my jeans, yanking them off awkwardly

as I tried to stay horizontal. I could feel the braid in my hair, an uncomfortable ridge along the back of my

skull. I turned onto my side and ripped the rubber band out, quickly combing through the plaits with my

fingers. I pulled the pillow back over my eyes.

It was all no use, of course. My subconscious had dredged up exactly the images I'd been trying so

desperately to avoid. I was going to have to face them now.

I sat up, and my head spun for a minute as the blood flowed downward. First things first, I thought to

myself, happy to put it off as long as possible. I grabbed my bathroom bag.

The shower didn't last nearly as long as I hoped it would, though. Even taking the time to blow-dry my

hair, I was soon out of things to do in the bathroom. Wrapped in a towel, I crossed back to my room. I

couldn't tell if Charlie was still asleep, or if he had already left. I went to look out my window, and the

cruiser was gone. Fishing again.

I dressed slowly in my most comfy sweats and then made my bed — something I never did. I couldn't

put it off any longer. I went to my desk and switched on my old computer.

I hated using the Internet here. My modem was sadly outdated, my free service substandard; just dialing up took so long that I decided to go get myself a bowl of cereal while I waited.

I ate slowly, chewing each bite with care. When I was done, I washed the bowl and spoon, dried them,

and put them away. My feet dragged as I climbed the stairs. I went to my CD player first, picking it up

off the floor and placing it precisely in the center of the table. I pulled out the headphones, and put them

away in the desk drawer. Then I turned the same CD on, turning it down to the point where it was

background noise.

With another sigh, I turned to my computer. Naturally, the screen was covered in pop-up ads. I sat in my

hard folding chair and began closing all the little windows. Eventually I made it to my favorite search

engine. I shot down a few more pop-ups and then typed in one word.

_Vampire._

It took an infuriatingly long time, of course. When the results came up, there was a lot to sift through —

everything from movies and TV shows to role-playing games, underground metal, and gothic cosmetic

companies.

Then I found a promising site — Vampires A—Z. I waited impatiently for it to load, quickly clicking

closed each ad that flashed across the screen. Finally the screen was finished — simple white

background with black text, academic-looking. Two quotes greeted me on the home page:

_Throughout the vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure_

_so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself_

_neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and_

_terrible qualities of both_. — _Rev. Montague Summers_

_If there is in this world a well-attested account, it is that of the vampires. Nothing is lacking:_

_official reports, affidavits of well-known people, of surgeons, of priests, of magistrates; the_

_judicial proof is most complete. And with all that, who is there who believes in vampires_? —

_Rousseau_

The rest of the site was an alphabetized listing of all the different myths of vampires held throughout the

world. The first I clicked on, the _Danag_, was a Filipino vampire supposedly responsible for planting taro

on the islands long ago. The myth continued that the _Danag _worked with humans for many years, but the

partnership ended one day when a woman cut her finger and a _Danag _sucked her wound, enjoying the

taste so much that it drained her body completely of blood.

I read carefully through the descriptions, looking for anything that sounded familiar, let alone plausible. It

seemed that most vampire myths centered around beautiful women as demons and children as victims;

they also seemed like constructs created to explain away the high mortality rates for young children, and

to give men an excuse for infidelity. Many of the stories involved bodiless spirits and warnings against

improper burials. There wasn't much that sounded like the movies I'd seen, and only a very few, like the

Hebrew _Estrie _and the Polish _Upier_, who were even preoccupied with drinking blood.

Only three entries really caught my attention: the Romanian _Varacolaci_, a powerful undead being who

could appear as a beautiful, pale-skinned human, the Slovak _Nelapsi_, a creature so strong and fast it could massacre an entire village in the single hour after midnight, and one other, the _Stregoni benefici_.

About this last there was only one brief sentence.

_Stregoni benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of_

_all evil vampires._

It was a relief, that one small entry, the one myth among hundreds that claimed the existence of good

vampires.

Overall, though, there was little that coincided with Jacob's stories or my own observations. I'd made a

little catalogue in my mind as I'd read and carefully compared it with each myth. Speed, strength, beauty,

pale skin, eyes that shift color; and then Jacob's criteria: blood drinkers, enemies of the werewolf,

cold-skinned, and immortal. There were very few myths that matched even one factor.

And then another problem, one that I'd remembered from the small number of scary movies that I'd seen

and was backed up by today's reading — vampires couldn't come out in the daytime, the sun would burn

them to a cinder. They slept in coffins all day and came out only at night.

Aggravated, I snapped off the computer's main power switch, not waiting to shut things down properly.

Through my irritation, I felt overwhelming embarrassment. It was all so stupid. I was sitting in my room,

researching vampires. What was wrong with me? I decided that most of the blame belonged on the

doorstep of the town of Forks — and the entire sodden Olympic Peninsula, for that matter.

I had to get out of the house, but there was nowhere I wanted to go that didn't involve a three-day drive.

I pulled on my boots anyway, unclear where I was headed, and went downstairs. I shrugged into my

raincoat without checking the weather and stomped out the door.

It was overcast, but not raining yet. I ignored my truck and started east on foot, angling across Charlie's

yard toward the ever-encroaching forest. It didn't take long till I was deep enough for the house and the

road to be invisible, for the only sound to be the squish of the damp earth under my feet and the sudden

cries of the jays.

There was a thin ribbon of a trail that led through the forest here, or I wouldn't risk wandering on my own

like this. My sense of direction was hopeless; I could get lost in much less helpful surroundings. The trail

wound deeper and deeper into the forest, mostly east as far as I could tell. It snaked around the Sitka

spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples. I only vaguely knew the names of the trees around

me, and all I knew was due to Charlie pointing them out to me from the cruiser window in earlier days.

There were many I didn't know, and others I couldn't be sure about because they were so covered in

green parasites.

I followed the trail as long as my anger at myself pushed me forward. As that started to ebb, I slowed. A

few drops of moisture trickled down from the canopy above me, but I couldn't be certain if it was

beginning to rain or if it was simply pools left over from yesterday, held high in the leaves above me,

slowly dripping their way back to the earth. A recently fallen tree — I knew it was recent because it

wasn't entirely carpeted in moss — rested against the trunk of one of her sisters, creating a sheltered little

bench just a few safe feet off the trail. I stepped over the ferns and sat carefully, making sure my jacket

was between the damp seat and my clothes wherever they touched, and leaned my hooded head back

against the living tree.

This was the wrong place to have come. I should have known, but where else was there to go? The

forest was deep green and far too much like the scene in last night's dream to allow for peace of mind.

Now that there was no longer the sound of my soggy footsteps, the silence was piercing. The birds were quiet, too, the drops increasing in frequency, so it must be raining above. The ferns stood higher than my

head, now that I was seated, and I knew someone could walk by on the path, three feet away, and not

see me.

Here in the trees it was much easier to believe the absurdities that embarrassed me indoors. Nothing had

changed in this forest for thousands of years, and all the myths and legends of a hundred different lands

seemed much more likely in this green haze than they had in my clear-cut bedroom.

I forced myself to focus on the two most vital questions I had to answer, but I did so unwillingly.

First, I had to decide if it was possible that what Jacob had said about the Cullens could be true.

Immediately my mind responded with a resounding negative. It was silly and morbid to entertain such

ridiculous notions. But what, then? I asked myself. There was no rational explanation for how I was alive

at this moment. I listed again in my head the things I'd observed myself: the impossible speed and

strength, the eye color shifting from black to gold and back again, the inhuman beauty, the pale, frigid

skin. And more — small things that registered slowly — how they never seemed to eat, the disturbing

grace with which they moved. And the way _be_

sometimes spoke, with unfamiliar cadences and phrases that better fit the style of a turn-of-the-century

novel than that of a twenty-first-century classroom. He had skipped class the day we'd done blood

typing. He hadn't said no to the beach trip till he heard where we were going. He seemed to know what

everyone around him was thinking… except me. He had told me he was the villain, dangerous…

Could the Cullens be vampires?

Well, they were _something_. Something outside the possibility of rational justification was taking place in

front of my incredulous eyes. Whether it be Jacob's _cold ones _or my own superhero theory, Edward

Cullen was not… human. He was something more.

So then — maybe. That would have to be my answer for now.

And then the most important question of all. What was I going to do if it was true?

_If _Edward was a vampire — I could hardly make myself think the words — then what should I do?

Involving someone else was definitely out. I couldn't even believe myself; anyone I told would have me

committed.

Only two options seemed practical. The first was to take his advice: to be smart, to avoid him as much as

possible. To cancel our plans, to go back to ignoring him as far as I was able. To pretend there was an

impenetrably thick glass wall between us in the one class where we were forced together. To tell him to

leave me alone — and mean it this time.

I was gripped in a sudden agony of despair as I considered that alternative. My mind rejected the pain,

quickly skipping on to the next option.

I could do nothing different. After all, if he was something… sinister, he'd done nothing to hurt me so far.

In fact, I would be a dent in Tyler's fender if he hadn't acted so quickly. So quickly, I argued with myself,

that it might have been sheer reflexes. But if it was a reflex to save lives, how bad could he be? I retorted.

My head spun around in answerless circles.

There was one thing I was sure of, if I was sure of anything. The dark Edward in my dream last night was

a reflection only of my fear of the word Jacob had spoken, and not Edward himself. Even so, when I'd

screamed out in terror at the werewolf's lunge, it wasn't fear for the wolf that brought the cry of "no" to my lips. It was fear that _he _would be harmed — even as he called to me with sharp-edged fangs, I feared

for _him_.

And I knew in that I had my answer. I didn't know if there ever was a choice, really. I was already in too

deep. Now that I knew — _if I _knew — I could do nothing about my frightening secret. Because when I

thought of him, of his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality, I wanted nothing

more than to be with him right now. Even if… but I couldn't think it. Not here, alone in the darkening

forest. Not while the rain made it dim as twilight under the canopy and pattered like footsteps across the

matted earthen floor. I shivered and rose quickly from my place of concealment, worried that somehow

the path would have disappeared with the rain.

But it was there, safe and clear, winding its way out of the dripping green maze. I followed it hastily, my

hood pulled close around my face, becoming surprised, as I nearly ran through the trees, at how far I had

come. I started to wonder if I was heading out at all, or following the path farther into the confines of the

forest. Before I could get too panicky, though, I began to glimpse some open spaces through the webbed

branches. And then I could hear a car passing on the street, and I was free, Charlie's lawn stretched out

in front of me, the house beckoning me, promising warmth and dry socks.

It was just noon when I got back inside. I went upstairs and got dressed for the day, jeans and a t-shirt,

since I was staying indoors. It didn't take too much effort to concentrate on my task for the day, a paper

on _Macbeth _that was due Wednesday. I settled into outlining a rough draft contentedly, more serene than

I'd felt since… well, since Thursday afternoon, if I was being honest.

That had always been my way, though. Making decisions was the painful part for me, the part I agonized

over. But once the decision was made, I simply followed through — usually with relief that the choice

was made. Sometimes the relief was tainted by despair, like my decision to come to Forks. But it was

still better than wrestling with the alternatives.

This decision was ridiculously easy to live with. Dangerously easy.

And so the day was quiet, productive — I finished my paper before eight. Charlie came home with a

large catch, and I made a mental note to pick up a book of recipes for fish while I was in Seattle next

week. The chills that flashed up my spine whenever I thought of that trip were no different than the ones

I'd felt before I'd taken my walk with Jacob Black. They should be different, I thought. I should be afraid

— I knew I should be, but I couldn't feel the right kind of fear.

I slept dreamlessly that night, exhausted from beginning my day so early, and sleeping so poorly the night

before. I woke, for the second time since arriving in Forks, to the bright yellow light of a sunny day. I

skipped to the window, stunned to see that there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and those there were just

fleecy little white puffs that couldn't possibly be carrying any rain. I opened the window — surprised

when it opened silently, without sticking, not having opened it in who knows how many years — and

sucked in the relatively dry air. It was nearly warm and hardly windy at all. My blood was electric in my

veins.

Charlie was finishing breakfast when I came downstairs, and he picked up on my mood immediately.

"Nice day out," he commented.

"Yes," I agreed with a grin.

He smiled back, his brown eyes crinkling around the edges. When Charlie smiled, it was easier to see

why he and my mother had jumped too quickly into an early marriage. Most of the young romantic he'd

been in those days had faded before I'd known him, as the curly brown hair — the same color, if not the same texture, as mine — had dwindled, slowly revealing more and more of the shiny skin of his forehead.

But when he smiled I could see a little of the man who had run away with Renée when she was just two

years older than I was now.

I ate breakfast cheerily, watching the dust moats stirring in the sunlight that streamed in the back window.

Charlie called out a goodbye, and I heard the cruiser pull away from the house. I hesitated on my way

out the door, hand on my rain jacket. It would be tempting fate to leave it home. With a sigh, I folded it

over my arm and stepped out into the brightest light I'd seen in months.

By dint of much elbow grease, I was able to get both windows in the truck almost completely rolled

down. I was one of the first ones to school; I hadn't even checked the clock in my hurry to get outside. I

parked and headed toward the seldom-used picnic benches on the south side of the cafeteria. The

benches were still a little damp, so I sat on my jacket, glad to have a use for it. My homework was done

— the product of a slow social life — but there were a few Trig problems I wasn't sure I had right. I

took out my book industriously, but halfway through rechecking the first problem I was daydreaming,

watching the sunlight play on the red-barked trees. I sketched inattentively along the margins of my

homework. After a few minutes, I suddenly realized I'd drawn five pairs of dark eyes staring out of the

page at me. I scrubbed them out with the eraser.

"Bella!" I heard someone call, and it sounded like Mike.

I looked around to realize that the school had become populated while I'd been sitting there,

absentminded. Everyone was in t-shirts, some even in shorts though the temperature couldn't be over

sixty. Mike was coming toward me in khaki shorts and a striped Rugby shirt, waving.

"Hey, Mike," I called, waving back, unable to be halfhearted on a morning like this.

He came to sit by me, the tidy spikes of his hair shining golden in the light, his grin stretching across his

face. He was so delighted to see me, I couldn't help but feel gratified.

"I never noticed before — your hair has red in it," he commented, catching between his fingers a strand

that was fluttering in the light breeze.

"Only in the sun."

I became just a little uncomfortable as he tucked the lock behind my ear.

"Great day, isn't it?"

"My kind of day," I agreed.

"What did you do yesterday?" His tone was just a bit too proprietary.

"I mostly worked on my essay." I didn't add that I was finished with it — no need to sound smug.

He hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Oh yeah — that's due Thursday, right?"

"Um, Wednesday, I think."

"Wednesday?" He frowned. "That's not good… What are you writing yours on?"

"Whether Shakespeare's treatment of the female characters is misogynistic."

He stared at me like I'd just spoken in pig Latin.

"I guess I'll have to get to work on that tonight," he said, deflated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go

out."

"Oh." I was taken off guard. Why couldn't I ever have a pleasant conversation with Mike anymore

without it getting awkward?

"Well, we could go to dinner or something… and I could work on it later." He smiled at me hopefully.

"Mike…" I hated being put on the spot. "I don't think that would be the best idea."

His face fell. "Why?" he asked, his eyes guarded. My thoughts flickered to Edward, wondering if that's

where his thoughts were as well.

"I think… and if you ever repeat what I'm saying right now I will cheerfully beat you to death," I

threatened, "but I think that would hurt Jessica's feelings."

He was bewildered, obviously not thinking in _that _direction at all. "Jessica?"

"Really, Mike, are you _blind_?"

"Oh," he exhaled — clearly dazed. I took advantage of that to make my escape.

"It's time for class, and I can't be late again." I gathered my books up and stuffed them in my bag.

We walked in silence to building three, and his expression was distracted. I hoped whatever thoughts he

was immersed in were leading him in the right direction.

When I saw Jessica in Trig, she was bubbling with enthusiasm. She, Angela, and Lauren were going to

Port Angeles tonight to go dress shopping for the dance, and she wanted me to come, too, even though I

didn't need one. I was indecisive. It would be nice to get out of town with some girlfriends, but Lauren

would be there. And who knew what I could be doing tonight… But that was definitely the wrong path

to let my mind wander down. Of course I was happy about the sunlight. But that wasn't completely

responsible for the euphoric mood I was in, not even close.

So I gave her a maybe, telling her I'd have to talk with Charlie first.

She talked of nothing but the dance on the way to Spanish, continuing as if without an interruption when

class finally ended, five minutes late, and we were on our way to lunch. I was far too lost in my own

frenzy of anticipation to notice much of what she said. I was painfully eager to see not just him but all the

Cullens — to compare them with the new suspicions that plagued my mind. As I crossed the threshold of

the cafeteria, I felt the first true tingle of fear slither down my spine and settle in my stomach. Would they

be able to know what I was thinking? And then a different feeling jolted through me — would Edward be

waiting to sit with me again?

As was my routine, I glanced first toward the Cullens' table. A shiver of panic trembled in my stomach as

I realized it was empty. With dwindling hope, my eyes scoured the rest of the cafeteria, hoping to find

him alone, waiting for me. The place was nearly filled — Spanish had made us late — but there was no

sign of Edward or any of his family. Desolation hit me with crippling strength.

I shambled along behind Jessica, not bothering to pretend to listen anymore.

We were late enough that everyone was already at our table. I avoided the empty chair next to Mike in

favor of one by Angela. I vaguely noticed that Mike held the chair out politely for Jessica, and that her

face lit up in response.

Angela asked a few quiet questions about the _Macbeth _paper, which I answered as naturally as I could

while spiraling downward in misery. She, too, invited me to go with them tonight, and I agreed now,

grasping at anything to distract myself.

I realized I'd been holding on to a last shred of hope when I entered Biology, saw his empty seat, and felt

a new wave of disappointment.

The rest of the day passed slowly, dismally. In Gym, we had a lecture on the rules of badminton, the next

torture they had lined up for me. But at least it meant I got to sit and listen instead of stumbling around on

the court. The best part was the coach didn't finish, so I got another day off tomorrow. Never mind that

the day after they would arm me with a racket before unleashing me on the rest of the class.

I was glad to leave campus, so I would be free to pout and mope before I went out tonight with Jessica

and company. But right after I walked in the door of Charlie's house, Jessica called to cancel our plans. I

tried to be happy that Mike had asked her out to dinner — I really was relieved that he finally seemed to

be catching on — but my enthusiasm sounded false in my own ears. She rescheduled our shopping trip

for tomorrow night.

Which left me with little in the way of distractions. I had fish marinating for dinner, with a salad and bread

left over from the night before, so there was nothing to do there. I spent a focused half hour on

homework, but then I was through with that, too. I checked my e-mail, reading the backlog of letters

from my mother, getting snippier as they progressed to the present. I sighed and typed a quick response.

Mom,

Sorry. I've been out. I went to the beach with some friends. And I had to write a paper.

My excuses were fairly pathetic, so I gave up on that.

It's sunny outside today - I know, I'm shocked, too - so I'm going to go outside and soak up

as much vitamin D as I can. I love you,

Bella.

I decided to kill an hour with non-school-related reading. I had a small collection of books that came

with me to Forks, the shabbiest volume being a compilation of the works of Jane Austen. I selected that

one and headed to the backyard, grabbing a ragged old quilt from the linen cupboard at the top of the

stairs on my way down.

Outside in Charlie's small, square yard, I folded the quilt in half and laid it out of the reach of the trees'

shadows on the thick lawn that would always be slightly wet, no matter how long the sun shone. I lay on

my stomach, crossing my ankles in the air, flipping through the different novels in the book, trying to

decide which would occupy my mind the most thoroughly. My favorites were _Pride and Prejudice _and

_Sense and Sensibility_. I'd read the first most recently, so I started into _Sense and Sensibility_, only to

remember after I began three that the hero of the story happened to be named _Edward_. Angrily, I turned

to _Mansfield Park_, but the hero of that piece was named _Edmund_, and that was just too close. Weren't there any other names available in the late eighteenth century? I snapped the book shut, annoyed, and

rolled over onto my back. I pushed my sleeves up as high as they would go, and closed my eyes. I would

think of nothing but the warmth on my skin, I told myself severely. The breeze was still light, but it blew

tendrils of my hair around my face, and that tickled a bit. I pulled all my hair over my head, letting it fan

out on the quilt above me, and focused again on the heat that touched my eyelids, my cheekbones, my

nose, my lips, my forearms, my neck, soaked through my light shirt…

The next thing I was conscious of was the sound of Charlie's cruiser turning onto the bricks of the

driveway. I sat up in surprise, realizing the light was gone, behind the trees, and I had fallen asleep. I

looked around, muddled, with the sudden feeling that I wasn't alone.

"Charlie?" I asked. But I could hear his door slamming in front of the house.

I jumped up, foolishly edgy, gathering the now-damp quilt and my book. I ran inside to get some oil

heating on the stove, realizing that dinner would be late. Charlie was hanging up his gun belt and stepping

out of his boots when I came in.

"Sorry, Dad, dinner's not ready yet — I fell asleep outside." I stifled a yawn.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I wanted to catch the score on the game, anyway."

I watched TV with Charlie after dinner, for something to do. There wasn't anything on I wanted to watch,

but he knew I didn't like baseball, so he turned it to some mindless sitcom that neither of us enjoyed. He

seemed happy, though, to be doing something together. And it felt good, despite my depression, to make

him happy.

"Dad," I said during a commercial, "Jessica and Angela are going to look at dresses for the dance

tomorrow night in Port Angeles, and they wanted me to help them choose… do you mind if I go with

them?"

"Jessica Stanley?" he asked.

"And Angela Weber." I sighed as I gave him the details.

He was confused. "But you're not going to the dance, right?"

"No, Dad, but I'm helping _them _find dresses — you know, giving them constructive criticism." I wouldn't

have to explain this to a woman.

"Well, okay." He seemed to realize that he was out of his depth with the girlie stuff. "It's a school night,

though."

"We'll leave right after school, so we can get back early. You'll be okay for dinner, right?"

"Bells, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here," he reminded me.

"I don't know how you survived," I muttered, then added more clearly, "I'll leave some things for cold-cut

sandwiches in the fridge, okay? Right on top."

It was sunny again in the morning. I awakened with renewed hope that I grimly tried to suppress. I

dressed for the warmer weather in a deep blue V-neck blouse — something I'd worn in the dead of

winter in Phoenix.

I had planned my arrival at school so that I barely had time to make it to class. With a sinking heart, I circled the full lot looking for a space, while also searching for the silver Volvo that was clearly not there.

I parked in the last row and hurried to English, arriving breathless, but subdued, before the final bell.

It was the same as yesterday — I just couldn't keep little sprouts of hope from budding in my mind, only

to have them squashed painfully as I searched the lunchroom in vain and sat at my empty Biology table.

The Port Angeles scheme was back on again for tonight and made all the more attractive by the fact that

Lauren had other obligations. I was anxious to get out of town so I could stop glancing over my shoulder,

hoping to see him appearing out of the blue the way he always did. I vowed to myself that I would be in a

good mood tonight and not ruin Angela's or Jessica's enjoyment in the dress hunting. Maybe I could do a

little clothes shopping as well. I refused to think that I might be shopping alone in Seattle this weekend,

no longer interested in the earlier arrangement. Surely he wouldn't cancel without at least telling me.

After school, Jessica followed me home in her old white Mercury so that I could ditch my books and

truck. I brushed through my hair quickly when I was inside, feeling a slight lift of excitement as I

contemplated getting out of Forks. I left a note for Charlie on the table, explaining again where to find

dinner, switched my scruffy wallet from my school bag to a purse I rarely used, and ran out to join

Jessica. We went to Angela's house next, and she was waiting for us. My excitement increased

exponentially as we actually drove out of the town limits.


	8. Chapter 8 Summer

Chapter 8: Summer

I walked into the library two weeks into the summer, sulking that I still had no where to go.  
"You look nice." Lester commented scanning my body. I wore a black and white Crown Me halter dress from Great Glam and black Sevigny high heel sandals from Gucci. I plopped down on a couch in front of Lester and sighed.  
"Thanks." I mumbled.  
All our friends were gone for the summer. Sandra went to Argentina to visit her aunts, uncles, and cousins. She would be back two weeks before school started again. James went to Florida to visit his grandparents. Senetra and Chris went to Australia for no known reason that made sense. Chad went to Ireland to "check out a university." Cathy went to Paris to buy a new wardrobe. The two would meet up a month before school started and go on a lengthy cruise to Hawaii. I was stuck here with nothing to do.  
"You don't look like you're in a good mood." Lester commented laying his book down on the coffee table in front of him.  
"I'm bored. I want to go somewhere." I moaned. "It's so unfair. Mom and John are taking Leah and Daniel for some camp they signed up. And I'm stuck at home."  
"You have me." He smirked. My lips twitched upward.  
"I know but I don't want to sit home all the time. It's summer. I want to get away before school starts again." I continued to whine. Having Lester with me, kept me sane. If he would have gone somewhere, leaving me at home by myself surrounded by maids and butlers, I would have literally gone crazy. Lester chuckled.  
"That won't be for long." I stared at him.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I have two plane tickets booked for Italy. We're flying out tomorrow morning." I squealed and flung myself into his arms, over the coffee table, and kissed him.  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the world's best boyfriend. God I love you."  
"You do?" I blushed. I had never told him that my like turned into love. I nodded.  
"I love you too." Lester pulled me closer to him and kissed me. The kiss sent shivers down my spine causing my whole body to go limp. He was the only one that could have that effect on me. _Did he say tomorrow morning?_ I managed to think. I pulled away. He looked at me confused.  
"Tomorrow morning? What time?"  
"Seven." He answered casually pulling me to continue our interrupted kiss. I jumped up.  
"Seven!? Why didn't you tell me earlier, I have to pack." I ran from the room, hearing a low chuckle from Lester.

The next day, we landed in Rome about 9 hours later. A limo took us to the Boscolo Hotel Exedra. Our suite was on the top floor. There was a single king sized modern bed in the bedroom. I mentally smiled. It was already past midnight when we settled in so we decided to crash. While I unpacked our clothes, Lester took as shower. When he finished showering, he came out in only silk gray pajama pants. The sight of his toned bare chest made my heart race. I tried not to stare. I quickly grabbed my silk soft pink night gown with black lace and raced to take a shower, while Lester climbed into bed and switched on the TV.

In the morning, I was greeted with kisses trailing down my neck. I shivered.  
"Good morning beautiful." Lester spoke in his bedroom voice.  
"Morning." I said stretching and turned to dace him. He immediately covered my lips with his in a smoldering kiss. We pulled away when we couldn't breath.  
"So where to this morning?" he asked, knowing I wouldn't want to stay inside.  
"Anywhere, as long as I'm with you." I said.

After breakfast we toured the city of Rome. Of course, for a girl, if you haven't shopped, then you never visited. We rode on horses, swam in the pool and the sea. It's been three weeks and we already toured Rome all the way. Now that there was not much to do, we decided to swim in the sea. I bought a nautical dress and matching heels and we went to the beach. When I took off my dress, Lester stared. I wore a red nautical bikini. There was probably nothing wrong with that, just the fact that I always wore a black one piece nautical swimsuit.  
"Wow." Lester managed to say. I smiled. I turned walk toward the sea. Lester caught up lifting me off my feet and threw me into the water. I squealed.  
"When did you get that tattoo?" he asked as we resurfaced. On my lower back I had a butterfly tattoo that my mother didn't know about.  
"Just before we moved here." I responded. "My mom doesn't know about it."  
"You being a bad girl are you?" he asked seductively.  
"Only for you." He grabbed me by the waist pulling me closer to him.  
We spent the rest of the summer in the same fashion.

We returned home a week before school started. Our family was home so we were able to catch up. Mom and John went back to work. Mom was working on developing a new design for the Weston Hospital expansion project. Since Weston Hospital didn't admit only Weston residents, John was busy at the hospital. Leah, Daniel, Lester and me hung out in the pool.  
"So how did you like camp?" I asked Leah.  
"I'm never ever going there again. It was so boring."  
"Why?"  
"We didn't do anything. All the girls there were stupid, so I didn't bother making any friends."  
"I know, the guys sat playing weird old fashioned games." Daniel added. "It's like they were premature old people." Lester and I laughed at that comment.

Our peaceful bliss was interrupted by Senetra bursting through the door onto the patio followed by Chris, Cathy, Chad, Sandra and James.  
"You guys, you will never believe this!" Senetra screeched waving a magazine in her hand. I glance over at Lester confused and he just shrugged. The four of us climbed out of the pool and joined the group.  
"What's going on?" I asked.  
"Look." Senetra pointed. She was holding a copy of the Weston Elite Magazine. The title on the page that was opened caught my attention. _"Weston Private Academy Amended Their Dress Code." _  
"What?" I grabbed the magazine and read out loud. "This summer, the Weston Private Academy faculty and staff have amened their Dress Code. The school will now be providing four different school uniforms depending on their grade. Freshmen girls will be wearing a short black skirt with a white with black stripes sailor shirt, white over the knee socks and black closed toed Gucci Sofia Paillettes ankle boots."  
I looked over at Leah who was making a face. Leah had looked forward to wearing the type of uniform I wore last year. I continued.  
"The Sophomore girls will be wearing a medium blue short skirt with a medium blue with white stripes sailor shirt, white over the knee socks, and medium blue Suede ankle boots. The Junior girls will be wearing the same Elegant Gothic Lolita uniform that was originally set as the uniform, white over the knee socks and white Issac Mizrahi boots. The Senior girls will be wearing a black button up shirt, a short white sleeveless dress over, same style white jacket a school pin will be pinned at the collar area, white over the knee socks and black Charlotte Russe ruched buckled boots."  
I stopped. Lester took the magazine and read on.  
"The Freshman boys will wear black dress pants and a white with black stripes button up shirt, black jacket and a black and white sailor tie. The Sophomore boys will wear black dress pants and, a medium blue button up shirt, black jacket, and a medium blue and white sailor tie. The Junior boys will be wearing the original uniform. The Senior boys will wear black dress pants, black button up shirt, white jacket, and a school pin will be pinned at the collar. All boys will wear Johnston & Murphy black dress shoes."  
Leah grabbed the magazine from Lester and read.  
"During the Fall, all shorts will be elbow length. During Winter, the shirts will be full length. All girls will be given a black Antonio Berardi coat and the guys a black Taylor Reece coat. During Spring, the shirts will be changed to shirt sleeved."  
Daniel took the magazine and read.  
"All uniforms will be delivered the students one week before school."  
We all stood in silence, digesting all this. There was nothing to say.  
"This is depressing." Senetra broke the silence. "Let's talk about something nice."  
"Yeah, there's nothing bad about this. Those uniforms were getting a little old." Cathy added.  
We all climbed back in the pool and talked.  
"I got a whole new wardrobe from Australia." boasted Senetra. "I was thinking of wearing one of the outfits to the party this Friday at Leopard's."  
"Yeah, I bought some new things in Paris too, I should pick something out." Cathy added.  
"All you girls ever do is talk about clothes." Chad complained. We laughed.  
"How was your trip to Argentina?" I asked Sandra.  
"It was nice. I got to see all my cousins."  
"Oh you should wear something from there to the party." Senetra suggested. Sandra nodded.  
"So what did you do this summer?" Cathy asked me.  
"Lester and I went to Italy." All eyes focused on us. "It was a surprise from Lester."  
Senetra giggled.  
"Sis you buy anything?" Chad groaned making everyone laugh again.  
"Yes, I think I'll pick something to wear for the party."  
"This is great." Senetra squealed in delight. "We'll all wear something that represents where we spent most of our summer.  
"Does that mean I need to wear something Irish?" Chad asked in horror.  
"Why don't you wear a "Kiss ME I'm IRISH" t-shirt." Chris suggested causing us to burst in laughter at the thought of Chad wearing something like that.


	9. Chapter 9 New Kid

Chapter 9: New Kid

On Friday before the party the uniforms arrived with our schedules. At the party we celebrated that we all would have the same schedules. We had a free hour instead of an extra class this year, which was nice.

On Monday, everyone gathered in the auditorium to listen to the welcome speech from Julia McDuffy, our school master.  
"I would like to welcome the Seniors today. The next couple of months will be tough for you. You will be preparing to graduate and start a new life at a University of your choice. Welcome to the Sophomores and Juniors. You have made it to the next level, keep on striving. Welcome to the Freshman students. I hope that you will enjoy the next four years here and strive for success. Now, I would like to introduce you to a very important foreign exchange student from China. Chu Lu Cai." The auditorium vibrated with applause. A tall black haired boy stepped on the stage and shook Ms. McDuffy's hand.  
"I hope that you Senior will make his stay here enjoyable. Thank you and Good Luck."  
"What is you definition of enjoyable?" Chad mumbled mockingly making us laugh.  
The eyes of the boy scanned the auditorium until they finally landed on me. His black eyes burned with something fierce that made me shudder.  
"What's wrong?" Lester asked.  
"The new kid is staring at me weirdly." I whispered.  
"Hey what's wrong with the new kid?" asked Chris. "Did you run over his dog or something?" We all looked at him uneasy and then everyone looked at me. An uneasy feeling crossed over me. Some strong force started to squeeze my my lungs, causing me to gasp for air. I kept on taking in air, but I couldn't let it out.  
"Oh my God, Alana!" Cathy screamed.  
"Somebody call 911!" I heard faintly as everything went black.

"Her vitals are ok. Nothing seems to be wrong." A unfamiliar voice sounded from far away. "You say she couldn't breathe?"  
"Yes, she was fine, and hen all of a sudden, she started taking in air but couldn't let anything out." another voice sounded. It sounded very familiar but I couldn't grasp it. The sound of someone bursting through the door startled me.  
"Alana!" It was my mom.  
"How is she Dr. Garcia?" John's voice sounded. _Garcia. Sandra's father. _  
"She's ok now. She's asleep."  
"Ok I'll take it from here." John said. Dr. Garcia left the room. I felt my mother's cool hands press to my forehead.  
"What happened to her?" my mom asked. This time I recognized the voice.  
"It was after the welcome ceremony. We were waiting for other's to leave and all of a sudden she was gasping for air." Lester explained.  
"Was it too stuffy?" John asked.  
"No. It was fine." Lester answered.  
"Has this ever happened before Jane?" John asked my mom.  
"No."  
There was a brief moment of silence.  
"Was there anything out of the ordinary? asked mom.  
"Nothing really. The school master welcomed all the seniors, then the sophomores, juniors, and freshman. At the end she introduced an exchange student from China, that for some reason was glaring at Lana." Lester explained.  
"Why was he glaring at her? Did she do something to offend him?" John asked.  
"No, we saw him for the first time when he came on stage. Why?"  
"Nothing. I wonder what caused this."  
"Mom?" I said weakly opening my eyes.  
"Alana. Are you alright?" My mom's voice sounded anxious.  
"Yes, much better."  
"You scared me. What happened?"  
"I just couldn't breathe all of a sudden." I explained. Mom didn't let me go to school that day. Lester went to let everyone know I was ok. Mary sat by my side all day, while I sulked in bed. I was fine. It wasn't fair that I couldn't go.

The next day, the teachers and students welcomed me eagerly. They were nice enough not to start any lessons yesterday. Our first period was Calculus with a new teacher, Abby Gibbs. She was nice. I couldn't understand why a young person like her would want to be a math teacher. I despised math. Though I hated it, I was very good at it. I found calculus very easy, which caused me to tutor Lester, Sandra, James, Senetra, Chris, Cathy and Chad. Second period turned into a disaster. We had chemistry with Alexis Filmore. Ms. Filmore assigned a lab and somehow the whole school had to be evacuated for the whole day because someone made a very toxic gas.

On Wednesday, our art teacher Jessica Parker, assigned us to draw a landscape of our choice.  
"Wow, Lu Cai, you have great talent." I heard Jessica say. We all looked in their direction. She held up his picture. It was a drawing of a black wolf attacking a snow leopard. Lester and I tensed at the same time. He squeezed my hand. French went without any problems. Cathy was ecstatic. When she stayed in Paris, she learned a lot, so she helped us with that. Jerry Maguire our teacher assigned us to write a letter to out love one.

"I wonder if anything else could possibly go wrong today?" Senetra asked as we sat at our table at lunch on Thursday.  
"Don't jinx it Sen" Chris said.  
"So far its been ok." Cathy said. "What's with our luck?"  
"We're seniors, we should be having it easy." Chad complained. So far this week didn't go without a problem. The first day of school, I passed out, on Tuesday, the whole school got evacuated. Yesterday, Lester and I were shocked at the picture drawn by the exchange student.

In gym, we grouped together to play golf. Chad and Chris were obviously cheating and we tried to reason with them. We were so engrossed in the arguing that nobody noticed a golf ball flying our way and hitting my stomach. I fell over, grabbing my stomach in pain.  
"Well, there's your answer Senetra." I managed to say as the pain went down. Good thing we had free hour next period.

The next week surprisingly went well. Well, if you don't count the fact that I almost got killed by a bookshelf flying from the second floor of the library. I sat in my room reading a diary of one of the original village settlers from whom the snow leopard humans originated. I started it along time ago. It contained many interesting stories about or background. The entry I was reading now read:

_March 13, 1915_

_We received word from the neighboring villages, that an evil clan was heading our way with the intent of war. There was no known reason, but they wouldn't stop to anything. I gathered the men of the village and we planned to attack on our animal form. The snow leopards have helped us through many trials, they knew how to deal with an invasion. We practiced all day, trying different techniques. We have never fought before, and the clan was moving at a fast speed toward us. According to the neighbors, they would be here tomorrow morning. We decided to go out and meet them. We wouldn't fight close to home where our families would be in danger._

I couldn't finish because dinner was ready.  
"So how was your week?" mom asked.  
"Hopefully this was the worst week I'll ever have." I stated. Mom knew about the "accidents" that happened. After dinner Sandra, Cathy and Senetra came over to go the mall and pick out an outfit for my birthday in two weeks. They insisted I buy a dress from the new Italian Boutique, though I told them countless times, I bought enough in Italy. Mom and Leah came with us to buy their outfits too.

I chose a white A-Line/Princess asymmetric chapel train chiffon dress with white Casadei heels. Leah chose a red taffeta gathered glamour gown with red stiletto sandals. Mom chose a gray chiffon Adrianna Papell beaded crisscross halter gown with sparkly silver Janet stilettos. Cathy chose a blue Alex Evenings ombre one shoulder gown with blue closed toed pointy heels. Sandra chose a silk purple v-neck Aidan Mattox Niteline ruched gown with Christian Louboutin purple pumps. Senetra chose a strapless green flowing dress with gold multi ankle band stilettos.

A whole week went by without any disturbance. Though an uneasy feeling lingered. It felt very suffocating. Once or twice I felt like I was going to pass out again because of lack of air. It felt like someone was having fun in torturing me. Concentrating on my school work was hard. I headache grew and traveled around my head. Not one part of my skull wasn't left untouched by it.

It was the Friday before my birthday. We were sitting in a gazebo talking about the party.  
"Hey did you notice that the new kid is in all of our classes?" asked Chad.  
"Yeah, and he always glares at Alana." Chris added.  
"I wonder why that is."  
"Oh, speaking of which, guess what I found out." Senetra cried making us jump.  
"What did you find?" asked Chris lovingly. It wasn't everyday that Senetra "found" something.  
"Well it was an odd but interesting piece of information." she said.  
"Well spill it already." Chad said annoyed at the suspense.  
"I went online and translated the new guys name. Guess what it means?" she asked.  
"No clue. Why don't you tell us." Chris said. She smiled.  
"It means something around the lines of "Evil Black Wolf"." We stared at her. Confusion played on all our faces. _Evil Black Wolf? Poor guy. Imagine living with a name like that._ I thought to myself. That little piece of information threw us off and we sat silently until the final bell rang.


	10. Chapter 10 Party

Chapter 10: Party

The party was on full speed. People were dancing and swimming, drinking and eating. A lot of kids from school were invited, mostly the senior class. The party was divided into three parts. The Morning to noon party for everyone that was invited from the academy. From noon to around six everyone would leave except for Sandra, James, Senetra, Chris, Cathy and James. Once they leave it would be our private family party. So far the kids from school were enjoying themselves. When they all first arrived, they congratulated me and stayed by my side. After a while, they seemed to forget the reason they even came. I didn't care. I had my close friends around me and that's all that mattered.

When the seniors left, we all jumped into the pool wearing our formal outfits. A photographer took pictures of the event. I told my mom it wasn't necessary, but she insisted on hiring a photographer no matter what.  
"You're only 18 once, honey. You should document it properly." she said.

"So where are you planning on going to university?" I asked the group as we soaked in the jacuzzi. By now we stripped down to our under clothes.  
"I didn't like the university in Ireland." Chad said.  
"Why? Didn't like wearing the Kiss ME I'm IRISH shirt?" Chris said.  
"Haha very funny Reed."  
"It's weird. I'm not used to it."  
"I applied to Yale and Oxford." Cathy said. "Not sure which one to accept though."  
"You should first get an acceptance." James said.  
"I already have scholarships from them, so I guess you can count that as an acceptance."  
"Why choose those, I won't be able to get in." Chad whined.  
"Well than Parker, you are going to have to work hard for that." Cathy told him.  
"Apply for both and then when you get accepted you guys can decide where you will go." James said.  
"Whichever one you get accepted into, I'll go there and I will reward you with a little surprise." Cathy said seductively. Chad brightened up.  
"You got a deal Norton." I wasn't sure when we started using last names, bit apparently this was an exceptional moment.

"What about you Sandra?" I asked.  
"James and I both chose the Imperial College in London. I want to study medicine and he wants to study economics."  
"Maybe I'll switch to medicine if I get to see in a cute white lab coat." James told her causing her to blush deeply.  
"Senetra and I just received our acceptance letters to University of Birmingham yesterday." Chris said.  
"Really? That's cool. What are you going to study?" Lester asked. I knew everyone was wondering what Senetra would be studying.  
"I'm planning on doing Business and Senetra..."  
"I'm going to study Music." Senetra interrupted him.  
"Music?" we all asked in unison.  
"Yes. I play the piano."  
"Wow, that's really cool Senetra." I said seeing that everyone lost their voices.  
"What about you two?" Cathy said pointing at me and Lester.  
"Lester and I applied to Queens, Yale, Cambridge, and John Cabot University in Italy." I replied.  
Everyone stared.  
"What are you planning on studying?" Sandra asked.  
"I wanted to do Archeology." I said.  
"What about you Les?" James asked.  
"Film."  
Our conversations drifted to what we're going to do over the summer before we all go separate ways to what theme our Senior Prom should be.

After all the guests left, our family gathered in on the patio. Soft music played in the background as mom and John slow danced. Lester, Daniel, Leah and I were playing a game of cards.  
"You're cheating!" Leah screeched at Daniel.  
"No I'm not. You're just bad at the game." Daniel defended himself. Lester and I should our heads. These two always fight. They are best friends but always find some small thing to bicker about.

"Hey kids." John said. "Jane and I have some news for you."  
We all turned to give our attention to them. Mom was beaming. I noticed she looked really excited the past couple of days.  
"What is it mom?" I asked.  
"Well, " she hesitated searching for the right words. "I'm...pregnant."  
"Are you serious? Mom that's great." I jumped up and hugged her.  
"Way to go dad." Lester said giving him a high five.  
"Who are you having?" asked Daniel.  
"We don't know yet." said John.  
"How many weeks in are you?" Leah asked.  
"Three."  
This news was one of the best birthday presents yet. We were going to have a small baby connecting the two families, not just a piece of paper.

When everyone had gone to bed, I took out the diary again and read the next entry.

_March 14, 1915_

_The clan wasn't expecting us. They thought they would surprise us. They were caught off guard when the humans they saw standing in formation, shifted into animal form-Snow Leopards. They had their own surprise for us. The clan shifted into dark wolves. The fight was gruesome. In the end we won, but lost many. The dying leader of the clan said it wasn't over. In 76 years, the key to continuing or ending our race will be born. Another leader will arise in their clan at the same time. He will be young but strong. He will come and search for the key to destroy it, as revenge for destroying most of their race. The leaders name will be..._

When I saw the name flashbacks started to go through my head. The evil glare of the new kid, the loss of air, the uneasy feeling, the chemical mishap in class, the art picture, the falling bookshelf. They were all ways of killing the key of the Snow Leopards without giving away the other clan. Realization dawned on me. _I _was the key and the _new kid_ was new leader.

_The leaders name will be … _**_CHU LU CAI_**_._

I screamed.


	11. Chapter 11 Warning

Chapter 11: Warning

Moments later, everyone ran into my room.  
"What's the matter?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"Where's the fire."  
"Why'd you scream?"

Everyone asked questions at the same time, but all I could do was gasp for air and shake in fear, staring at the three words in the diary. Finally my mother came up to me and shook me by the shoulders.  
"Alana! Alana honey you're scaring me! Answer me!" she began to sob.  
"Alana, sweetie, please answer us." It was John pleading now. I felt a soothing rub against my back, I knew who it was. Les. Slowly, I slipped back into the real world. I jumped as my eyes focused and I realized how close everyone stood.  
"It's him." I whispered. I couldn't find my brave and loud voice yet, so I could only whisper.  
"Who. Who are you talking about?" my mother asked in a shaky voice.  
I pointed into the diary and they read the entry passing the diary around. Les, Leah and DJ gasped when they finished.  
"I don't understand." John said. "What is so scary about this? It's just the past."  
"No… Chu Lu Cai…. is in my school." I breathed.  
"What?"  
"He is the next leader, come to get rid of the key…me."  
My mother gasped in realization as she put all the recent events together.  
"She's right, it has to be him. It's a prophecy, and it's been 76 years already." she started to sob loudly again as John hushed her.  
"It's late." he finally said. "Let's talk about it tomorrow." The parents left, but Les, DJ, and Leah stayed.

"What are we going to do?" Leah asked, for the first time in her life, she looked helpless.  
"You don't need to worry about it L, he's coming for me not you." I said.  
"But you're my sister! I'm not going to stay aside and watch. I WILL fight with you" her voice was going in volume.  
"Shhh, stop yelling. We'll decide who's going to fight later. Right now, I need to prepare and find out when he wants to fight."  
"Lana, you can't do this alone." Lester said. "You could get hurt."  
"Don't worry Les, Snow Leopards are strong, and I won't be fighting in human form." I explained, but that didn't make him feel better.

"Can't you find allies or call the village and ask for help? After all you are their key too, not just this families." Sometimes, Les had really good ideas and words of wisdom.

"That is a good idea, but…there is no way to contact them, except to go there."

All was silent. My mind was running over 100 miles per hour. It was a mess. I needed to calm down but I couldn't.  
"Wait!" Leah suddenly said. "They hunt food for their families in their animal form right?"

"Yes." I couldn't see where she was going with this.

"And they hunt after dark right?" I nodded slowly.  
"If we could find out when it gets dark there, and calculate the time difference to find out what time its here, maybe you could shift into animal form and communicate with them that way."  
"You're right. Humans shifting into Snow Leopards, can communicate with each other in animal form, no matter the distance. At least I could warn them, that Chu Lu Cai has shown himself already, and they should be careful… You're a genius L." I hugged her tightly and she giggled.

"I'll find out right now." she ran to her room to research.

"I'm going to bed. I suddenly feel uneasy." Daniel said and shuffled toward his bedroom. Les and I stared after him.

"Shouldn't you work out your body or something?" Les asked. "You've never fought before right?"  
"No I haven't. I'll ask the villagers when I contact them."  
"Alright. I'm to bed, this sudden unexplainable feeling is coming over. Maybe I'm just too tired."

"Alright. Goodnight." He kissed me on the lips and shuffled out of the room, mimicking Daniels exit.

I heard a grunt outside my room.  
"Sorry." Leah said rushing into my room.  
"Did you get it?"  
"Yea, ok. The sun sets at around 7:10 pm. There is an 11 hour time difference, so you would need to shift around 6:10am."  
"That's early." I moaned. "But it's necessary. Thanks Leah. Now go to bed, I need sleep. We all need sleep." I hugged her goodnight, but I couldn't fall asleep.

As the digits on my alarm clock changed to 6:10, I quietly crept out side and shifted.  
"Hello?" I called out in my mind. I wondered if they understood English.  
"Hello?" there was an answer.  
"Hi sorry to bother you while you're hunting."  
"It's no problem. Who is this? I don't recognize your signal." _Signal? _I thought. _So we're communicating through signals. That's how they understand English and I Chinese._  
"Yes." I jumped at the answer. I forgot they could hear me think.

"My name is Alana Janes. I recently found out I was the key to either saving or destroying our race."  
"Oh yes, we've been waiting for a notification of you. Is there something wrong?"  
"Yes, um.. the new leader of the dark wolf clan, Chu Lu Cai,… has appeared and I thought you should know." I stuttered in my thoughts.  
"Chu Lu Cai showed himself? When?"  
" Not long ago. I think he will want to fight soon, so I just wanted to give you a heads up to be prepared incase he decided to send someone to you."  
"Thank you Miss Janes."  
"No, it's my duty. I was wondering if you could give me some pointers on how to prepare for a fight?"  
"The pointers are all in the diary."  
"Oh, thank you. Umm. happy hunting."  
"Good luck to you." and then there was silence. I shifted back into my human form and ran to my room to get the diary. I reached into the drawer next to my, but instead of the diary, there was a piece of paper. It was a note in handwriting I didn't recognize. My heart started to accelerate as I read it.

_I have the diary, so good luck to you in preparation for the fight. Just to let you know, I'm stronger than you. You don't stand a chance against me, with your pregnant mother and teenaged sister. The fight will be scheduled when the Waxing Crescent shows up in the sky. Go to the open field next to your house. I will be waiting._

_Chu Lu Cai_

My hands shook. I had nothing. He was right. I had nothing. My mother was pregnant, not the ideal condition for a fight. My sister was only 13, she had less experience in staying shifted. She always bounced back and forth between forms under stress. So I was alone. No diary for instruction. No allies for help. And the calendar indicated, that a waxing crescent was going to appear in two days.


	12. Chapter 12 Fight

Chapter 12: Fight

The two days before the fight, flashed by like someone pressed the fast forward button on the VCR. Nobody went to church, though we probably should have. The atmosphere in our house was tense. My mom was sitting in the library by the fireplace, staring into space. John, stood by her side picking at his shirt buttons. Leah was pacing back and forth from one room to the next. My feet started to hurt for her. Daniel and Lester, seemed to be feeling worse and worse. They had fevers and their eyes were watery and red. I sat in on the sofa with a photo album of the past year.

I looked through photos. The wedding, the honeymoon. Our first day of school. Even my birthday from two days ago. One picture in particular, stopped me short. I stared closely. It was a picture of our gang in the pool. Me and Lester, arms around each other. Chad with Cathy on his lap. Sandra leaning on Jame's shoulder. Senetra pecking Chris on the cheek, and Leah and Daniel staring at the camera with shocked expressions. It brought back memories of the parties and classes we had together. The time we spent together and apart. The phone calls the emails. It would all soon be in danger and possibly disappear. But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was my, Lester, Leah, and Daniel's eyes. Our pupils were oval and cat like, not like the regular human kind. I understood me and Leah having them. We shifted into Snow Leopards. But Lester and Daniel?

The tension and silence of our mansion was interrupted by the shrill of the doorbell. Serge opened the door.

"Alana! What happened to you guys? We've been trying to call you all weekend!" Cathy screeched as the rest of the group piled into our foyer.  
"Sorry, Daniel and Lester are sick, and we had some family issues to deal with." I explained.  
"Are they ok?" Chris asked with concern.  
"Just a fever and teary eyes. I'm sure they'll be fine soon."  
"Is everything ok with your family?" Sandra asked.  
"We'll see after tonight. It's going to be very intense soon. So you probably should leave. I'll call when I get the chance." _If I get the chance._ I corrected mentally.  
"Ok, well, I hope everything is going to be alright with both issues." Senetra said.  
"Thanks," I tried to smile convincingly, but I probably didn't fool them.

It was getting dark, and the moon would be visible soon.  
"I'm so sorry, I can't help you honey." my mom apologized for the millionth time that day.  
"It's alright mom. It's my fight anyway."  
"If only Leah's shifting was more stable."  
"No. Absolutely not mom. She's only 13. She has a life ahead of her." I said sternly. Leah and mom hugged me tightly. We didn't want to say goodbye. It was too final then.  
"Good luck." they whispered.  
John and Daniel gave me and awkward hug, also wishing me luck. I walked toward Lester, who was staring out the open back door, toward the open field.  
"Wish me luck?" I asked. The response I got, was Lester crashing his lips into mine, with so much force, that if I he wasn't holding me, I would've fallen backward.  
"Good luck" he whispered and kissed my forehead.

As I reached the destination, I saw a black wolf emerge from the forest. I froze. I've never been face to face with such a creature before. He was huge. His silver eyes, glared with blood lust in my direction. Full of revenge and hate. My thumped and my breathing accelerated as I closed my eyes and shifted. I need to work on that if I survived. It was seriously not the best idea to close your eyes when confronted by an enemy.

The wolf crouched to leap. A low growl emerged from his chest. I snarled. It was like. Almost a hiss. I heard him bark a sneering laughter. I narrowed my eyes and crouched to attack. Seconds passed, maybe minutes, but we just and stared into each other's eyes. The moment was intense. When was he going attack? How was he going to attack? He had the advantage of the diary and I had none. Suddenly I felt him tense, and knew that this was it. The moment when he leaps and tears me apart.

I don't remember much of the fight. It all passed in a blur. He lunged and I did too. He clawed and I retaliated. My strong will power to survive and save my race was strong and it overpowered me. It controlled me. I didn't think. I let my instincts control me. Half way through the fight, two four figures joined me. One I recognized. My sister. I growled at her. Why didn't she listen to me? I wanted to communicate with her, but that part was too new to me, so I I couldn't. It took up too much of my concentration, and the fight was taking it all up. The other three figures, I didn't recognize. Were they some kind of distant relatives? Someone the villagers sent to help? I didn't care anymore. I needed help. I needed it badly, because I wounded and wounded deep. The wolf had attacked my throat and ripped it causing me to lose lots of blood. The scene was beginning to fade. The snarls became a distant purr as I slipped into unconsciousness.


	13. Chapter 13 Recovery

Chapter 13: Recovery

When I finally woke up, I was informed that I was out for five months.  
"Five months!" I screeched in a hoarse voice. My parents, sister, Daniel and Lester, and all my friends were in my hospital room.  
"Yes, the doctor said you lost a lot of blood." my mom explained.  
"That must have been some family issue, that it ended in a bloodbath." Chad remarked.  
"Shut up Chad." Cathy snapped at him.

I smiled weakly.  
"What did I miss?"  
"Nothing big really. There's nothing to do in school anymore. No assignments. You just go there to hang out and be there." James complained.  
"The teacher's are not going to count these five months against you." Snadra reassured when she read my face. I'm not sure what she saw, but it was probably panic. Panic that I wouldn't be able to graduate with them this Spring.  
"You have to get better soon, because we have a prom and graduation to plan." Senetra added.  
"I'll try my best." my voice cracked.  
"Ok everybody out." Dr. Garcia said ushering everyone out.  
"So how's the patient. Alive I see." he said with a smile.  
"Yes. Alive."  
"Well let's look at those dressings, shall we?"  
I nodded. Gently, he pulled at the gauze on my throat and examined my wound. I didn't know what the explanation for the wound was, but Dr. Garcia didn't question.  
"Well, you're healing really well. You'll be up and about in no time."  
"When can I get discharged?" I didn't want to be in this hospital bed anymore. Though I was unconscious these months, I knew it wasn't pleasant. He looked me over for a minute.  
"I'll try to get it done by this evening."  
"Thank you so much doctor."

Sure enough, that evening I was discharged. But with strict orders for no excitement until my wounds fully healed. I was forced to stay in bed in my room. It was never boring though. People were coming in and out constantly. My room, was filled with flowers, balloons and Get Well cards. When I had some moments to myself, I looked out my window toward the field where the battle happened some 5 months ago. How did it end? Apparently i was alive, but was it completely over? Was Chu Lu Cai dead? Or was he roaming around, fully healed from any wounds and plotting to attack at any moment. The thought brought on nightmares until I finally couldn't take it anymore and asked.  
"What happened to Chu Lu Cai?"  
"He's dead." Lester answered me, as we lay on bed, watching reruns of Laguna Beach. I sighed in relief. Though i was wondering how he knew, I let it go. There were more days to come, when I could ask about that again.

A week after my discharge from the hospital, I was allowed to go to school. The school welcomed me with open arms. People that ignored me, greeted me in the hallways. The story about Chu Lu Cai wa that he was deported back to China. In a way he was.

I caught up on my schoolwork fast. Of course, like I was informed, there wasn't much. Preparations for Senior Prom, were in full swing. Suggestion boxes were all over the school. The main question? Theme. Our group was instructed to deal with this issue. So when we took the boxes home, we had a lot to sort through. There were thousands of suggestions. We finally narrowed it down to 8 best ones. _  
__Heaven. __  
__Casino Royale. __  
__Arabian Nights. __  
__Trip to Paris. __  
__Black and White Ball.__  
__Egyptian Desert.__  
__Hollywood.__  
__Starry, Starry Night._

After 100 arguments, three bags of chips and one fight that ended up with all of us soaked in the pool, we decided on the Black and White Ball. Preparations were made. Posters posted. Leopard's decorated and outfits bought.

The night of the ball, when we got home, Lester asked me to take a walk in the back. He was wearing his white tux and I my long, strapless, Vintage chiffon black and white gown. The moon was shining bright in the dark night sky.  
"What's wrong Les?" I finally asked. I could see he was nervous and it was making me jumpy.  
"I want to show you something." he said nervously.  
"Show me what?" I was curious now.  
"Well.... can you... shift first?"  
_"_Shift?" he nodded. I was confused but did as he asked. Slowly I shifted into a snow leopard and sat on my haunches waiting.  
"Ok her it goes." he said. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I cocked my hed to the side. _What is he doing?_ Then I knew. Without warning, his human form disappeared and before me stood a Clouded Leopard. Instantly I straightened up and stared. Wide -eyed. That explained the eyes on the photos, and...the help... in the fight. Realization dawned me. The tension, triggered their Leopard gene and they were able to come and help as a result. I flung myself at him, knocking him over and licking his face. He purred. My life was perfect now. My boyfriend/step-brother, was not that far of a different species than me. We were together and alive. We would spend a long life together. I could feel it. And we did.


	14. Epilogue New Beginning

Epilogue: New Beginning

As my mom, Leah, and I found out later, the male children of the Jenks family, were born with the Clouded Leopard gene, like the female children of the Janes family, with the Snow Leopard gene. My mother gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy that they named Charlotte and Ryan Jenks.

The long line of only female Snow Leopards was broken in the Janes family. Little Ryan, inherited the Snow Leopard gene and Charlotte the Clouded Leopard gene. We concluded that from now on, both genders of either species would be born.

Chad and Cathy went to Oxford together. They still don't know what to major in. It's been 3 years already. Sandra and James went to Imperial College where they both majored in medicine. Sandra said she was going to be a physician, while James was planning on going for a surgeon. Senetra and Chris went to the University of Birmingham, where she majored in music and Chris in Law. As for me and Lester? We were happily living in our apartment not far from Yale. I majored in Archeology and he in film.

By the way, last night, Lester proposed and we'll be getting married, right after graduation.


End file.
